Digimon Saga Side Story: Battle For Nexus
by Kingkaiju
Summary: While the chosen twelve deal with Daemon in the human world, the digital world faces a dire threat. For the shadow of war now looms over Nexus. (WARNING: Please read the main story "Digimon Saga", up to chapter 46 before reading this one.)
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1: A Prelude To War**

It was just about noon, and the sun was slowly reaching its zenith. Wispy clouds hung in the sky, being moved ever so slightly by the gentle breeze. Gatomon stood atop the ramparts of the outer wall. She scanned the horizon, always watching for anything suspicious. In the short time that she had served, the wall guard had come to appreciate her sharp eyes. This, combined with her other strong senses, made her the perfect look out.

"Hey, Gatomon!"

The feline was snapped from her concentration and looked to the source of the of voice. Down below her, stood a PawnChessmon. Strapped to his back, was a heavy spiked mace. A piece of his chest armor was covered by a riveted plate, almost like a cloth patch. It was a repair done by the knight himself after he received an injury in battle. After that, the other soldiers had come to call him 'Patch'

Behind him stood a humanoid, dinosaur digimon, named Dinohyumon. She was tall, her body well defined, and muscular. She had smooth, scaled skin, colored light green. While her chest, abs, and face were a shade of off white. She wore light purple pants, with a yellow sash, marked with a pair of symbols. Strapped to her arms were a pair of fur bracers, each one attached with sharp blades. A large, cleaver-like blade was sheathed at her side. While a giant knife, as large as herself, was slung across her back.

Gatomon had met the pair not long after the chosen twelve had left for the abyssal gates. She initially met Patch completely by happenstance. When the little knight fell from a rampart, into a bail of hay. Right next to where Gatomon was standing. Gatomon would soon discover that this was an ordinary occurrence for him, as he was quite accident prone.

After the two became friends, Patch introduced her to Dinohyumon. She was a royal knight, serving on the wall just like her. The two found camaraderie, in that they were both wanderers, until coming to Nexus. Though she still had not known them for very long, she considered them good friends.

"Why don't you come join us for lunch!?" Patch asked with a wave.

Gatomon considered if for a moment, tempted by the offer. She **had** skipped breakfast that morning, but she didn't want to leave her post. Another of the lookouts on the wall could see her indecision and urged her to go.

"We can handle things while you're gone." he said. "We've survived quite some time without you, and twenty minutes or so won't make much difference."

Gatomon offered him a nod of thanks and leapt down from the rampart. She landed with a graceful flip just a few feet before Patch, and Dinohyumon.

"Hmph, show off." Dinohyumon smirked, crossing her arms.

"Have to keep up appearances don't you know." the cat purred jokingly.

Dinohyumon gave a nod. "That's a good point; can't disappoint your adoring fans."

"Alright, enough joking around you two." said Patch. "I'm starving."

The two champions shared a chuckle, before giving him a nod.

The three then headed down the nearest set of stairs, and to the ground floor. They didn't have to walk long, before coming to a gathering of soldiers. All lined up before a set of serving tables, laden with the day's meal. The trio quickly took their place in line, chatting idly while they waited.

"What's on the menu today?" Patch asked excitedly, as he grabbed his tray.

"Salisbury steak, with gravy, and potatoes." the Gladimon behind the counter answered. He quickly served the little knight and moved on to his friends.

As Patch began to walk to an open spot to sit, his foot caught on a loose stone. He screamed and went falling face forward, his tray flying into the air. Behind him, Gatomon reacted and grabbed him by the collar of his armor. Before gently catching his tray with her other paw. Patch breathed a sigh of relief, as Gatomon pulled him up.

"Thanks a bunch." he said with a little chuckle.

"Don't mention it." Gatomon replied, handing his tray back to him. "Try and be more careful won't you?"

"I think that's asking a bit too much." Dinohyumon joked, coming up behind her. Both, hers, and Gatomon's trays were held in her grip.

Patch, harrumphed, sticking his tongue out from beneath his helmet. His two friends rolled their eyes and headed off to sit on a nearby bench. The rookie wasted no time and quickly dug into his meal.

"It's sure been quiet around here lately." Dinohyumon commented, mouth half full. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Me neither." Gatomon agreed. "I just hope that things are okay in the human world. I'm worried about Ryudamon, and the others."

Patch wiped a bit of gravy from the lip of his helm. "Hey, they're the chosen twelve I'm sure they can handle anything!"

Dinohyumon nodded in agreement. "Yeah, even with just the stuff you've told us about them, they sound incredibly strong."

"I suppose you're right. I just can't help but worry." After a brief lull in the conversation, Gatomon quickly changed the subject to a more light-hearted matter.

* * *

Gallantmon and the remaining three generals sat in the hall of thrones. Alphamon had been put into intensive care since the digidestined had gone to the human world. He had drained much if his energy, and it would take some time for him to recover. Gallantmon was given command in his stead, much to her surprise, and Omnimon's displeasure.

The four were having a brief discussion, when the holo-projector beeped, indicating an incoming call. With a wave of Gallantmon's hand, a large display screen appeared above the projector. It flickered for a moment, before displaying the full body image of a digimon.

She had a lithe, but powerful frame, with long legs. Light and dark pink armor covered her entire body. Golden, blade-like ribbons, flowed from her shoulders, and waist. More gold decorated her chest plate. Her helm was falcon-like, with two sweeping wings on the side. The only weapon she carried, was a heavy golden shield. That was attached to her right arm and decorated with a shimmering blue gem.

"Crusadermon, reporting in." she said, giving a bow of greeting.

The other knights returned her greeting with bows of their own.

"What do you have to report?" Gallantmon asked. "Something good for a change, I hope."

"I can't tell if it's good, or bad." Crusadermon answered. "You see, just yesterday the enemy suddenly pulled back. A shameful display, really. At first, I simply thought the cowards were retreating in defeat." She paused, shaking her head. "But, it was far too sudden for that. I fear that they may be regrouping with reinforcements."

"Have you done any scouting since they retreated?"

Crusader gave a single nod. "Of course, but we haven't seen hide, nor hair of them."

Gallantmon leaned on the arm of her throne, putting a hand to her chin in thought. "That's more than a little concerning. You're not the first general to report that."

"What do you suppose it means?" Leopardmon asked.

"Whatever it means, it can't be good." Gankoomon stated, crossing his arms.

Gallantmon gave a nod of agreement. She then turned her attention back to the screen. "Thank you, Crusadermon. Be sure to let us know if there is any change."

"Of course." Crusadermon gave another bow, and her image disappeared. The holo-screen was then quickly dismissed.

There was a long silence, as the four generals considered Crusadermon's words. All of them began to feel as if they were standing on an ocean shore, watching, as a maelstrom gathered in the distance. When would the storm make landfall? Only time would tell.

* * *

After finishing their meal, Gatomon, and her two companions returned to their duties. Gatomon quickly leapt back up onto the high rampart. As she looked out across the land beyond once more, she spotted something strange in the sky. She focused in on it, pupils narrowing to slits. At first, she didn't see anything. However, as she focused, she began to perceive a subtle distortion in the sky. Almost like a shimmering mirage.

"What is that?" she asked aloud, pointing a claw to the sky.

A few of the other lookouts followed her paw and scanned above.

After searching a few moments, one of them turned to her curiously. "I don't see anything."

"It's there!" she insisted. "Just keep watching, you'll see it, trust me."

Though the lookouts were doubtful of her claim, they followed her request all the same. They continued to watch the spot in the sky, still seeing nothing. Just when they were about to turn back to the feline, a cloud moved out of the sun's path. The light of orange orb made one spot in sky shimmer mysteriously. If one squinted, they could even make out some kind of shape. Wings? A beak?

One of the Gladimon quickly shouted down to Grademon below. "Sir, we've spotted something suspicious!"

Grademon looked up to the scout. "Where?"

"In the air, off to the northwest!"

The captain quickly snapped his head toward the northeastern skies. His sharp, trained senses quickly spotted the shimmering shape. His eyes narrowed as he considered this. He then turned to one of his Knightmon lieutenants. Who carried a heavy greatbow, along with the sword on his back.

"Do you see it?" the captain asked.

"Aye, sir."

"Good. Fire a volley, and let's see what happens." Grademon then turned his attentions back the object in the sky.

The Knightmon gave a quick nod and unshouldered his bow. He pulled back on the string, summoning forth a trio of energy arrows. After taking steady aim, he let the arrows fly. Like bolts of lightning, they crackled through the sky, burning away the surrounding air. Two of the projectiles just barely missed, the third finding its mark. With a crackling spark, the object shimmered erratically, before slowly drifting down to earth.

"Good work." Grademon said, giving the archer a nod of recognition. "Now, let's go find out what we're dealing with."

The soldiers on the wall watched anxiously, as Grademon, and his soldiers marched toward the fallen object. When they returned, they carried the bound form of a digimon between them. They brought it into the inner walls, everyone gathering around to see. The captured digimon was dropped unceremoniously on the ground, finally allowing everyone a good look at it.

It was a machine type digimon to be sure. A strange fusion of jet, and pterodactyl. Sleek, blue armor, covered much its body. Its wings were like those of a plane and tipped with red. One of them had a large hole straight through it. No doubt inflicted by the arrow that had taken it down. The top of its mouth was a long metal beak. The bottom was almost shark-like, and filled dagger-like teeth. Its long legs, ended in three toes, each tipped with a red talon. Heavy chains, bound the digimon, his beak clamped shut.

"An enemy scout!" Grademon announced, gesturing to captured machine. "No doubt using some kind of cloaking device to spy on us." He glanced at the prisoner. "Though it would seem that wasn't quite good enough." The machine growled at him, but Grademon took heed of it and turned back to the crowd.

"Who was the scout that first spotted him?"

Gatomon wormed her way through the crowd and stepped forward. "That would be me." She locked eyes with the captain, giving him a scornful glare. Not one to easily forget the mistreatment she, and the others had suffered by the hand of Grademon.

Grademon eyes widened in surprise. "You…"

There was a tense silence that followed, Gatomon's stare never wavering.

The captain quickly cleared his throat. "Yes...well, excellent job. Keep up the good work." He gave a nod farewell and headed out with his soldiers, off toward Yggdrasil tower, with the prisoner in tow.

Gatomon kept her angry eyes pinned on the retreating form of Grademon for a few moments, before turning about, and walking back toward the high wall. The crowd began to disperse not long after, everyone returning to their duties.

* * *

Several miles away from Nexus, at the foot of a large mountain, a pair of MetalGolemon stood at the entrance of a large cave. Inside, many machine digimon moved about, working at various tasks. Moving crates of ammo, and supplies. As well as doing repairs and calculating away at computer terminals. Squadrons of fully armed machines stood on standby deeper in the cave, ready to march out at a moment's notice.

A single Commandramon made her way through the bustle, coming to a stop at a set of iron double doors. On a nearby wall, a panel opened up at her arrival. A long tendril-like wire, ending in red lensed camera, slithered from within. It scanned the Commandramon for a brief moment, addressing her in a robotic voice.

"State your business and designation."

She quickly saluted. "Private 323G! Reporting in with urgent news for the generals!"

There was a brief pause, as the other machine processed the information. "Private, 323G, code verified. Access granted. Please proceed inside."

The tendril slid back into place, and the panel closed as the door opened. The Commandramon quickly stepped inside to see one of the generals with their backs turned to her.

"General Raijinmon, Fujinmon, I have an urgent report!"

The first general, Raijinmon, slowly spun about to face her. She was a tall humanoid digimon, with tannish yellow armor, covering most of her form. Her hands, and forearms were large, silver gauntlets, made of chrome digizoid. A metal crest, almost shaped like lightning bolt, jutted from the top her helm. Her shoulders were cylindrical electric generators. One was marked with a plus the while other, was a minus. Two smaller generators sat above them, all them connected by a metal ring. A tail of sorts, made of several yellow wires, grew from her lower back, and was tipped with an electrical plug.

The other general, Fujinmon, turned to the Commandramon as well. He stood a head taller than his companion, his form lithe and aerodynamic. His body was almost completely made up of green, angular armor, trimmed with gold. A ring of green metal, connected to his turbine like shoulders. Flowing from the back of his head, was a trio of light green wires, tied back into a ponytail that just barely touched the ground. His arms were large gun metal grey beam emitters, ready to unleash a blade of energy from their ends at a moments notice.

"Go ahead trooper." commanded Raijinmon.

"Ma'am, we have just received word that the scout we sent to Nexus was shot down, and captured."

She put a hand to her chin. "I see. That was unexpected."

"Indeed." agreed Fujinmon. He then turned back to the rookie. "Do we know when the other two generals will be arriving?"

"Within the week sir!"

He gave a single nod and turned back to his work. "Excellent. That will be all, you're dismissed."

The Commandramon saluted, and quickly exited, leaving the generals to ponder over their plans once more.

* * *

Grademon and his company set down their cargo at foot of Yggdrasil's steps. They had garnered much attention as they made their way through Nexus's streets. All of the citizens made sure to keep a safe distance, however, despite their overwhelming curiosity. After receiving word of the spy from the captain himself, Gallantmon, and Gankoomon stepped out to investigate personally.

"So, this is one?" Gallantmon asked, circling the bound machine.

"Yes, ma'm!" Grademon replied with a salute. "He had some kind of cloaking device, but one of our scouts was able to spot him."

Gankoomon was a bit surprised by that. "Really? That must be quite the scout. I might have to give them a commendation."

Gallantmon continued to look over the captive. "It's also worrying. If the enemy has the capability to create such a cloaking field, who knows what else they're capable of." She turned to one of the nearby Knightmon. "Ungag him, and get him up.'

The ultimate quickly followed her order untying the chain around the prisoner's beak and propped him up straight. Gallantmon gave him a nod, and took a knee, her golden eyes meeting the machines.

"We have a few questions for you." she stated an edge to her voice.

"You will get nothing from me!" the pterosaur cawed, spitting upon Gallantmon's armor.

In a flash, Grademon drew one of his blades, bringing it up the prisoner's throat. "I should gut you where you stand for such disrespect!"

"Stand down captain." Gallantmon commanded, wiping the oily spit from her breastplate.

After a moment's hesitation, Grademon followed her command, sheathing his blade. Gallantmon then turned attentions back to the task hand.

"You will give us answers, one way or another." she threatened, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Your idle threats to not scare me." the machine replied with a laugh. "I have already resigned myself to death! This city will soon fall, and you and everyone in it will die! Long live the machine empire!"

A loud click suddenly emanated inside his chest, followed by an erratic beeping.

Gallantmon jumped back to her feet. "Everyone, get back!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Everyone nearby scattered, running as far as possible. As they ran, Gallantmon grabbed onto the prisoner and with all her strength hurled him high into the sky. Before summoning forth a giant shield, almost as large as herself. It was marked with golden digicode around its edge, and eight arrows. The biohazard sign that was upon her chest, resting in its center. The machine's body flew higher, and the beeping grew more erratic. Then with finally cry, his body exploded in a giant ball of flame, sending a powerful shockwave rippling through the air.

Once the explosion passed, Gallantmon dropped her shield and looked about. "Is anyone hurt!?"

"Everyone seems to be fine, ma'm." Grademon answered, walking back toward her.

Gallantmon gave a sigh of relief at his answer. "That could have been bad." she half whispered.

"But it wasn't." said Gankoomon coming up beside her. "Just be thankful."

She quickly relented with a nod.

Gankoomon then looked to the now clearing smoke, seeing a cloud of data particles, and a digicore floating forth from within.

"Well, there goes our intel."

"We did get something out him." Gallantmon pointed out, dismissing her shield. "That was not an empty threat. The machine empire and their allies are surely coming. We have to be ready for them."

Gankoomon looked to her, grim-faced, and gave a single nod of agreement.

* * *

A large army of machines and virus digimon marched across an open plain. Tank treads, wheels, and heavy feet pounded the earth, uprooting flowers, bushes, and grass alike. The clanking of gears and whirring of servos filled the air. At the head of the column, leading the charge, were a pair of machine digimon.

One had a heavy, centaur-like body. Red armor, trimmed with gold, covered most of her form. Her four lower limbs were almost elephant like, and she had a long robotic tail. Two large cannons were attached to each of her rounded shoulders. Her arms were long and hefty, almost gorilla like. They each ended in a three fingered, mechanical hand.

The other had a body more akin to a tank, or land ship. Two giant sets of treads kept him rolling along. His metal armor was colored with a camo green, with bits of off-white. He had a long segmented tail, tipped with a pair of energy cannons. One of his thick, heavy arms ended in a three prong claw. While the other was a giant machine gun. A tank-like turret sat above his face, as well as a cyclopean eye. Two large, turbine-like generators, rested atop his back.

The red armored machine turned to her companion. "How much longer until we reach the rendezvous point Raidenmon?"

"Calculating." the other machine replied, voice monotone, and robotic. "If my estimates are correct, we will arrive in one hour, 27 minutes, and 3.4 seconds, Suijinmon."

Suijinmon curled her fist in anticipation. "Good, I can't wait to finally start our attack."

The army continued to march on, never slowing, or tiring. Finally they came to a stop when they reached a large field, not far away from the general's meeting place. Suijinmon and Raidenmon commanded their forces to standby, and they headed through the forest. They soon came upon the base set into the mountain side. As they approached, Raijinmon and Fujinmon came out to meet them.

"Suijinmon, Raidenmon." Raijinmon said, gesturing her head in greeting.

"Is everything ready?" Suijinmon asked, getting right to the point.

"Final preparations are under way as we speak." Fujinmon replied.

"Tomorrow, we begin our march on Nexus." Raidenmon added, raising up her hand, and curling it into a fist.

* * *

Gallantmon stood in a large training hall. She summoned forth her shield and a long silver lance. After taking up her stance, she gave a nod to a PawnChessmon standing off to the side. He nodded and pulled on a large lever on the wall. With a loud clink, a dozen fully armored drones rose up from several holes in the floor. They all drew their weapons, a single blue eye glowing beneath their helms. They then charged Gallantmon all at once.

With practiced ease, she blocked some of the incoming weapons with her shield, using her lance to parry the rest. She pushed forward with her shield, sending several drones flying. Three of them moved in on her, swinging with their greatswords. She easily dodged, and countered, skewering them upon her lance, before tossing their bodies at some of the other drones. She quickly took up her stance once more and charged. Her lance and shield smashed and pierced the remaining drones with the barest of ease.

As the last one fell, she dismissed her weapons, and let out a sigh. From behind her, she heard the sound of clapping hands. She spun about, spotting Gankoomon standing by the door. He gave a few more claps of his hands before approaching.

"Doing a bit of training I see." he stated, looking about at the carnage.

"Just relieving some stress." she answered, and headed toward the exit, Gankoomon walking alongside her. "Ever since that incident with the spy, I've been on edge."

"I don't blame you." Gankoomon replied as they walked. "But you have to remember to keep your cool. Alphamon put you in charge after all."

"I'm starting to wonder if that was even a good decision." she commented under her breath.

Gankoomon quirked a brow. "Hmm?"

Gallantmon quickly shook her head. "It's nothing. Just thinking out loud to myself."

The two went on through the halls of the tower. The early afternoon sun filtered in from several lines of stained glass windows that occasionally dotted the tower. Motes of dust floated through the shafts of light, moving aside like fog when the knights passed through them. As the two headed toward the nearest elevator, a lone Knightmon ran toward them, stopping just short of the pair.

"M'lady, m'lord, you are needed immediately in the hall of thrones." she said with a salute. "There is an urgent message that requires your attention."

The two generals looked to each other and shared a nod, quickening their pace, as they moved toward the elevator. They continued to march at a fast pace as they exited. Only slowing when they finally reached the doors to the hall of thrones. They both stepped inside, finding Omnimon, and Leopardmon already waiting for them.

"We heard there was an urgent message." Gallantmon stated, walking to her seat.

Gankoomon did the same.

Leopardmon gave a nod. "Indeed. It arrived just minutes ago. I believe it deserves to be seen for yourself."

He quickly brought up a large holo-screen, for all to see. A Knightmon soon appeared onscreen. His armor was dented and cracked, and his arm hung limply at his side. The video itself was erratic and staticy. The knight's voice was warped, and almost incomprehensible.

"This outpost A4 to Nexus! We are under attack! It's the machine empire. There are thousands of them! I barely escaped. The rest of my team is dead. They are coming! I repeat, they…" The sound of explosion cut off the last words, and the video became nothing but static.

"Outpost A4...that's only a few hours from here!" Gankoomon exclaimed.

"Exactly." Omnimon stated. "The enemy will be here before the day is out."

"Then we don't have much time." said Gallantmon placing both her hands on the table. "Get the word out! I want everyone on full alert! We can't take any chances! I want this city prepared for an all-out war!"

The other three generals all nodded at her command. All four then quickly got work, sending out messages, and preparing for the battle to come.

* * *

Gatomon, Patch, and Dinohyumon were all about to head to lunch. When word reached them from Yggdrasil tower. The news of the oncoming army quickly spread to the soldiers along the wall. Lunch was soon forgotten, everyone snacking on the go, or forgoing the meals altogether. They quickly got to work shoring up their defenses. With Grademon supervising the affair, everyone worked with military proficiency.

Bows were restrung, while weapons were sharpened, and polished. Armor and fortifications were inspected and strengthened. All of the citizens in the city cleared the streets and began preparing their homes. Atop the tower, the generals worked frantically to coordinate their efforts. An almost constant slew of messages, and reports flooded in. All of them dealt with as fast as possible. Soon, preparations were complete, and Nexus waited with bated breath for the oncoming battle.

* * *

The army of machines and virus type digimon marched ceaselessly, with the four generals in the lead. With the destroyed outpost far behind them, they spotted Yggdrasil tower off in the distance. They picked up speed, as their goal came into view. Raijinmon gave the command to stop as they neared the edge of the plains between Nexus, and the other generals moved in on their own, looking out across the open field to see the shining city of Nexus.

Raijinmon eyes locked onto the walled city. "There it is."

"Finally!" Suijinmon exclaimed.

"It is as beautiful as they say." said Fujinmon with an almost satisfied hum.

"My initial scans show no obvious weaknesses." Raidenmon stated, in his monotone fashion. "But our forces should be more than sufficient to penetrate its defenses."

Raijinmon turned to her fellow generals. "Well now that we're here. Why don't we go say hello?"

* * *

Gatomon and the other lookouts were the first to spot the four machine generals. Though they made no attempt to hide their presence. They boldly marched toward the main gates, not a single one of their soldiers escorting them. The soldiers on the wall readied themselves as they neared, Grademon commanding them to hold until he gave the word. Gatomon watched them closely, not letting their slightest move escape her notice. All the while her long claws tapped against the stonework anxiously.

Grademon and his knights moved in to intercept them. The two groups met a few hundred feet away from the main gates. They looked each other over for a brief moment, gauging the others strength, and intent. Grademon was the first make a move, stepping forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his right sword.

"I am Grademon, a captain of the royal knights! State your business."

"My, straight to the point isn't he?" Fuujinmon chuckled.

Raijinmon gave a subtle nod at that, before turning back to the captain. "I am Raijinmon. My companions and I are the four generals of the machine empire."

Grademon and his soldiers drew their blades at that proclamation. The archers on the wall taking aim at the four machines.

Raijinmon held up her hands disarmingly. "We did not come here to fight, not just yet. We would like to meet with your generals."

"You dare make such a request!?" Grademon growled, his grip tightening on his blades.

"It is a simple request." Raijinmon replied. "At least send a message. Let them decide whether they want to meet." She made motioned her companions to fall back. "You have three hours."

The four generals then turned about and headed back toward the treeline.

Grademon kept his blades drawn, only sheathing them when the generals were out of sight. With an annoyed growl, he pulled out his holographic communicator, sending out a message directly to the top of Yggdrasil tower.

"This is Grademon, I have an urgent report."

The blue screen flickered for a brief moment, before displaying an image of the four knight generals.

"The machines have arrived, haven't they?" Gallantmon asked bluntly.

Grademon nodded in reply. "Yes, ma'am. Though we have yet to see their full force. Their generals saw fit to come out alone. They want to meet with you, personally. They want an answer within three hours."

Gallantmon shared a look with her fellow generals and turned back to the golden knight.

"Thank you, Grademon. Keep everyone on high alert. While the other generals and I discuss this."

Grademon gave a quick bow of his head. "Yes, ma'am." With that, the call was cut.

* * *

As the holo-screen disappeared from the table. Gallantmon leaned back in her throne with a sigh.

"They arrived sooner than I thought." she said, mostly to herself.

"I think we should meet with them." Leopardmon stated.

Omnimon turned to him in surprise. "Are you serious? It's obviously some kind of trap. We would be playing right into their hands!"

"I don't think the machine empire would make such an obvious ploy." Leopardmon replied.

"Perhaps that's what they want us to think." Gankoomon argued.

"It is a trap, but not in the traditional sense." said Gallantmon, earning her curious glances from the other three. "They want to gauge our strength. See up close, and personal what they're dealing with." She continued, looking to each of them. "They may even suspect that Alphamon is incapacitated, and want to confirm."

"The problem is that if we meet them without Alphamon they will have their answer." She glanced over at Alphamon's throne. "But, if we refuse they will know we have something to hide, and will have gotten their confirmation anyway."

Gankoomon nodded in understanding. "So it's a catch twenty-two."

Gallantmon turned to him. "That's right. However, there is an advantage for us if we meet them."

"And what would that be?" Omnimon asked.

"We will be able to gauge their strength as well." she replied. "In fact, if we get them talking enough they may let something slip that could give us an edge."

* * *

Raijinmon sat on a large boulder, arms crossed. Raidenmon stood completely still, almost like a statue. A few birds had even come to rest atop him. Fujinmon stood across from Suijinmon, watching as the other machine tapped the ground impatiently with her fingers. As a stiff breeze blew past the four, Raijinmon glanced back at Raidenmon.

"How much longer do they have?"

"Exactly one hour, thirty-seven minutes, and 15 seconds."

Fujinmon glanced over at the lead general. "Do you really think they'll come?"

"There is not a doubt in my mind." she replied, eyes closing.

Only minutes later, Raijinmons prediction came true. As the forms of the four royal knights appeared in the distance. Raijinmon leapt from her seat and took several steps forward, her companions soon coming to stand by her side.

"There they are, just like I said." Raijinmon stated.

"And it looks like Alphamon isn't with them." Fuujinmon commented. "I guess that means the reports were correct."

A couple more minutes ticked by, before the knights finally reached the four. There was a brief standoff, each of the two sides sizing each other up. Then Raijinmon took a step forward and extended a hand.

"Glad you could come." she greeted. "I am Raijinmon. It's an honor to meet four of the famous Royal knight generals."

Gallantmon looked down at the offered hand for a brief moment, before taking it in her own iron grip and shaking it firmly. "I am Gallantmon."

There was a quick round of tense introductions. Then Gallantmon regarded the four machines.

"I was under the impression that machine army was under the command of digimon called Darkdramon."

"It takes more than one digimon to lead an army." Raijinmon responded cooly. "You should know that, being generals yourselves."

"True enough." Gallantmon conceded. "Though I would still expect him to make an appearance. After all, shouldn't the supreme commander of the machine forces be the one the meeting us."

"I could say the same of Alphamon." Fuujinmon interjected.

Omnimon glared at him. "Master Alphamon would not set foot in the presence of curs such as yourselves."

"Is that so?" Suujinmon questioned. "Cause I think it was just the old man's nap time, and you didn't want to disturb him."

Omnimon took a step forward. "How dare you speak of Alphamon in such a manner!"

Gallantmon held him back with an outstretched arm. "Control yourself Omnimon."

He regarded her for a moment and stepped back. After taking in a calming breath, he gave her a single nod.

She mirrored the gesture and turned back to Raijinmon, deciding it time to get down to business. "So, why exactly did you wish to meet us?"

Raijinmon sighed and crossed her arms. "I'm going to be blunt. We have a force nearly ten thousand strong, waiting just beyond the treeline." She gestured her head behind her. "That force intends to take Nexus through any means of force necessary."

Gallantmon narrowed her eyes. "I gathered that much." she replied, with a dangerous edge to her voice.

"But I would rather not have to use force if necessary."

"Speak for yourself." Suujinmon mumbled under her breath.

Raijinmon gave her a stern glance and continued. "So we have to come ask for your unconditional surrender."

A silence soon filled the air. An overbearing tense silence, that made the air thick, and heavy.

Gallantmon's hands curled into tight fists. "You can't be serious."

"Oh but I am." Raijinmon replied. "Your city will fall, and that's a fact. The question is how many will die before that happens. If you surrender that number will be zero. If you don't…" she let the statement hang in the air.

"You are right." said Gallantmon, making her companions turn to her in surprise. "If we surrender, very few lives will be lost. If any at all. However, I have seen what you do to prisoners. I have seen what happens to the lands you conquer. The people are thrown into slavery and forced to work in factories. While the lands are pillaged for their resources with no regard for nature. All of that destruction and pain simply to serve Daemon's twisted ambitions."

She glared at each of the machine generals. "I would rather die than see this beautiful city, and its people reduced to pawns in your master's plans. And I know all those under my command share the same sentiment."

Raijinmon met her eyes for a brief moment, a tense silence following. "Very well." she finally said with a sigh. "Just know, that before this is over you will wish you had taken my offer."

Gallantmon stared right back. "I look forward to finding you on the battlefield."

Without another word, she spun about cape billowing in the wind. Her fellow knights soon followed after, their forms slowly disappearing in the distance.

"I told you they wouldn't take the offer." Fuujinmon commented.

"Oh well, the result is still the same." Raijinmon replied.

"Yeah, but this way we get to have more fun." Suujinmon interjected.

"We should head back, and prepare for our first assault." Raidenmon suggested in usual monotone manner.

Raijinmon gave a nod at that. "Agreed."

 **To Be Continued...**

 **Author's Notes:**

Yo, thanks to all of you who came to check this out. Note it is not entirely required for you to read this story so that you can read the main story. It is however, recommended. I mainly decided to write this side story because there was some stuff I wanted to tell that I felt would bog down the main story. Be warned this story will not be updating with the same frequency as the main one, so please keep that in mind.

Again, thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2:The First Assault**

Grademon sat upon the ground, honing the edge of his blade with a sharpening stone. After several dozen passes, he held it up to the sun, watching the razor edge gleam in the light. Once he was done appraising his work, he sheathed the blade. Before drawing the other, and beginning the same process over again. He paused in his work, when he sensed an approaching presence from behind him. The golden knight turned, to see Wisemon moving toward him.

"Good day to you, Grademon." Wisemon greeted with a bow.

"And to you Wisemon." Grademon replied, mirroring the wizards action. "What brings you here?"

"Well the generals thought you could use another sharp mind on the frontlines. So I volunteered." The mage answered moving to stand beside the knight.

"Thank you Wisemon, your assistance is much appreciated."

Wisemon gave nod, and turned look across the open plain. "So the enemy still hasn't made a move?"

"No." Grademon answered. "My scouts report that they've been clearing away a good chunk of the forest. Most likely so they can set up a temporary base of operations."

"That would explain the pillars of smog, and smoke that have been coming from the forest these past two days." Wisemon put a hand to his chin. "They do not seem to care about giving away their main position. They must be quite confident in their military might."

"Confident? Or Arrogant?" Grademon growled. His hand reflexively reached for one of his blades, gripping the handle tight.

Wisemon glanced over at him. "You need to relax captain."

"Relax?! How can I relax knowing that those machines could strike at any moment? I must be ready at all times."

Wisemon crossed his legs, and floated into the air. "Being ready is one thing. But being wound up as you are won't help anyone. One must keep calm,and focused in these sorts of situations. Do not let your anger control you."

Grademon let out a sigh, and loosened the grip on his blade. "Your right. I have to stay calm. Remember my training."

"You know what always helps me calm down? A good joke!"

Grademon snapped his head toward the wizard "What?"

"Stop me if you've heard this one. What did the cowboy say to the pencil?"

He received only a blank stare in response.

"Draw partner!" the wizard exclaimed, and began to laugh at his own punchline.

Grademon sighed,and shook his head. But could not but chuckle at Wisemon's antics.

* * *

Gallantmon sat upon her throne, deep in thought. On the table before her was the map of Nexus, and the surrounding countryside. A large red dot was marked several miles from the main gates, indicating the enemy's main position. She had been sitting for over an hour now, pondering the enemy's first move.

Would it be a bombing raid from the air, using more cloaked fliers? Perhaps even a series of hit, and run style attacks. Or something far more sinister.

"You're going to burn a hole in the table if you keep staring at it like that."

Gallantmon quickly looked up, and spotted Leopardmon standing on the other side of the room.

"You seem tense." he said as he approached.

"I think I have have every right to be." Gallantmon replied. "Nexus has not seen a force like this at its doors for thousands of years."

"Very true." Leopardmon relented. "And the last time that did happen, our forces were not spread this thin."

"Alphamon was also leading us." Gallantmon added bitterly under breath.

* * *

Gatomon, Patch, and Dinohumon sat against the rampart walls, chatting idly as they devoured their lunch.

"What do you suppose those smoke clouds are about?" Patch asked, glancing over the wall.

Gatomon looked over to him. "I heard from the scouts that they're being caused by the machines. They're cutting down, and burning away a large swathe of the forest."

"Damn them." Dinohumon growled. "They have no regard for nature."

"Or life. I've seen that first hand." said Gatomon.

She touched a paw to the vaguely circuit shaped scar on her shoulder. It was a part of her now. A constant reminder of the cruelties she had suffered.

Her companions frowned, as they watched her. She had of course told them of her capture, and the horrible experiments that had been performed on her. Neither of them could imagine what kind of pain she must have endured.

After a few moments, Dinohumon decided to break the tense silence. "Did you hear anything else from the scouts?"

The question quickly broke Gatomon from her silent reflection. "Not much. Though they did say that the enemy force was incredibly large. Easily in the thousands by their estimates."

Patch swallowed nervously. "T...thousands?"

Dinohumon gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Hey don't worry about it. With the generals on our side we'll be okay."

Patch gave a nod. "I suppose so."

Suddenly Gatomon's ear twitched, as she caught a faint whistling on the wind. Her eyes widened, and she leapt toward Patch, and Dinohumon.

"Get down!" she shouted, pushing the two down with all her strength.

Seconds later an artillery shell came down upon the rampart wall. It exploded in a fiery display, sending bits of rubble and dust in every direction. When the explosion passed, Gatomon dared a glance back. To see a smoking crater where she, and her friends were sitting only moments ago.

Patch gulped audibly, as he looked upon the crater. "That could have been us!"

"Thanks for the save Gatomon." Dinohumon said, getting to her feet.

Gatomon nodded and quickly rushed to the edge of the wall. Her keen eyes looked across the plains for the source of the attack. She soon spotted shapes in the distance, and the distinct glint of metal. As the figures came into focus, Gatomon could almost feel her blood boil.

Several platoons of Commandramon marched from the tree line. All of them with rifles held high. Marching alongside them were Tankmon, their treads digging into the earth. Even from here, Gatomon could hear the rumble of their engines. As well as the metallic clinking of their machinery, and ammunition.

Gatomon's claws dug into to the stonework as she watched the approach. Her eyes slitting, and fur rising.

"Those damn machines." she spat venomously.

Dinohumon moved in beside her, and looked out across the plains. "Looks like they decided to finally make their first move."

"There are sure are a lot of them." Patch said shakily.

Dinohumon gave him a quick slap on the back. "Now's not the time to be quaking in your boots!"

Patch could only nod in reply.

Suddenly shouts began to erupt along the wall. The alarm quickly being raised. Soldiers dropped their tasks, and quickly rushed into their positions. Archers were lined along the edge of the wall, and notched arrows to their strings. Lookouts took up weapons of their own, and took cover wherever they could find it. Finally, foot soldiers moved into position by the gates.

All of it was muffled white noise to Gatomon. All of her senses were focused on the approaching machines. Flashes, and pieces of memory slowly flooded her mind. A stench of oil, and metal, mixed with burning chemicals. The weight of heavy iron chains, and the darkness of a cell.

The strongest memory of all however, was the pain. The pain of the restraints digging into her skin. The sharp pain of the needle piercing her body. Followed by a hot searing agony. As if molten steel were coursing through her veins.

Her body spasmed, as the pain took her. Muscles tightened all at once, further adding to her pain. She tried with all her will to fight it, to somehow work through the pain, but it was to no avail, and a scream of pure anguish escaped her throat.

That pained cry shifted into an angry growl, as Gatomon's mind was brought back to the present. Without a second thought, she leapt from atop the rampart wall. She landed with the grace one would expect from a feline. Then took off running toward the oncoming machines, ignoring the shouts of DinoHumon, and Patch from atop the wall.

* * *

Grademon's blades were drawn as the first shot fell. His Knightmon subordinates followed his example. Their bodies were tense, and ready spring into action at a moment's notice.

In contrast, Wisemon still sat in a cross legged position. His eyes watched the approaching machines closely, calmly observing their formation, and other important details.

Off in the distance several of the Tankmon came to halt. As their comrades marched past them, they raised their cannons high. With a 'boom' and a flash of gunpowder, they launched their salvo, sending a handful of deadly ballistics whistling across the battlefield.

Wisemon moved forward, as the missiles came down. He held up a hand, summoning forth a pair of crystal orbs. The orbs began to spin around him, like planets orbiting a star. As they moved, lines of digicode trailed behind them, and surrounded Wisemon.

"Pandora Dialogue!"

At his call the tank rounds seemed to subtly curve, and change trajectory. All of them converging on Wisemon's position. As they collided with the aura of code, they disappeared, passing beyond some invisible boundary, into another pocket of space. With another motion of his hand, Wisemon then dismissed the aura of code.

"Impressive." Grademon commented.

"Thank you." the wizard replied.

The golden knight then turned his attentions to the high wall, and pointed his blade at the enemy.

"Give them a volley of our own! Archers, take aim, and fire!"

The archers followed the order without question and notched their arrows. They pulled on back the bow strings, and their shots were loosed. Arrows, surrounded by glittering light soon streaking across the sky.

The energy projectiles found their mark, and struck the oncoming army. With flashes of golden light, they struck down several Commandramon on the front line. The Tankmon fared better against the attack, their tougher armor absorbing the brunt of the blow.

Grademon raised his blade again, ready to give the command for another volley. Then, a white blur flew past the corner of his vision. He dropped his blade to his side, and turned with a start. He watched as the small form of Gatomon ran by on all the fours.

"What in the world? Where the hell does she think she's going?! Who gave her the order to charge?!"

Wisemon watched Gatomon's retreating form. His sharp senses felt the seething anger of her aura.

"I don't think she's doing this under anyone's orders captain."

Gatomon ran with all the speed she could muster. The sound of her paws thundered in her ears, and her pulse beat a mile a minute. She could hear the rumbling treads of the Tankmon, and the marching footsteps of Commandramon grow louder as she ran. It spurred her on, and stoked the ferocious fire within.

A line of Commandramon stopped as they saw her approach. With practiced movements, they lowered their rifles, and took careful aim. The rookies then shouted their attack in unison and opened fire on the approaching feline.

Gatomon saw the flash of gun barrels, and leapt out of the bullet's path. She began to serpentine, as the Commandramon followed. She ducked, dodged, and weaved out of their sights. All the while continuing her approach.

When she finally began to close in, she leapt into the air, and pounced on one of her attackers. With a roar, she rained down a flurry of blows. The Commandramon's armored uniform only protected him so much, and he was at the full mercy of Gatomon's fury. Within moments his body burst into shimmering data.

Gatomon did not pause, and leapt away, dodging another hail of gunfire. As she came back down she struck the nearest Commandramon with a kick, and a whip of her tail. She soon became a whirlwind of limbs, leaping from Commandramon to Commandramon, to unleash a barrage of punches, kicks, and claw swipes. Her movements were swift, and agile, while her attacks struck with deadly precision.

A Commandramon paused mid march, and gawked at the melee. After snapping from his initial surprise, he grabbed one of the grenades from his belt. He pulled the pin, and hurled the bomb with all his might. It sailed through the air for a few moments, before landing just a foot away from where Gatomon stood.

"Fire in the hole!" he shouted.

Even in her rage filled state, Gatomon's sharp ears heard the metallic 'thunk' beside her. Her head whipped around, eyes widening as she spotted the grenade. Without a moment's hesitation she leapt into the air. The grenade detonated a fraction of a second later, and three Commandramon were caught in the resulting explosion. All of them bursting into clouds of data.

Gatomon only had a moment of respite, before a Tankmon came rumbling in behind her. It lowered its arms, and opened fire. The cat quickly leapt into the air, dodging the barrage of high caliber fire.

"Lightning Claw!" she cried, as she came falling back down.

She landed atop the machines back, and thrust down with her claws. They easily pierced through the Tankmon's armored hide, shredding the metal like paper. Gatomon then wrenched her claws free, pulling out hunks of wiring, and machine parts. They quickly dissolved into data, and the Tankmon came to a shuddering stop.

With one final thrust of her claws, Gatomon dug deeper into the machines inner workings. She then leapt away, sparks flying from the gaping holes. With several whirring noises, the Tankmon's machinery exploded from the inside, taking the digimon with it.

* * *

Wisemon's eyes slightly widened at the display. "My, she's impressive isn't she?"

"She's reckless is what she is!" Grademon growled. He quickly drew his blades, and turned back to his soldiers. "Three of you with me! We're going to clean out these pests!"

Three of the Knightmon drew their blades, and charged toward the oncoming battalion with their captain. Both the Commandramon, and Tankmon opened fire on the approaching knights. Their bullets quickly proved ineffective, bouncing off their thick armor.

The approaching army soon felt the wrath of the knights. Their blades cut down swathes of Commandramon like weeds. The Tankmon fared no better. Their heavy cannons only stalled the knights for a few moments, before their blades came down upon them. Blade rended metal, and flesh, and clouds of data began to scatter into the sky.

"Retreat! Retreat!" one of the Commandramon shouted above the din.

The machines quickly turned about, and ran back toward the treeline. Ranks, and marching lines were completely forgotten in the chaos. Grademon watched the retreating machines with a hint of satisfaction.

"Get back here, you cowards!" Gatomon roared, as she cut down a Commandramon.

The cat quickly gave chase, her anger still burning hot. Before she made it very far, the form of Wisemon floated in front of her. She skidded to a stop, and glared at the ultimate.

"Out of my way! I won't let them escape!"

"Calm yourself young one." Wisemon replied. "If you follow them, it will only lead to your death." He placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder. "You've done enough for now."

Gatomon's whole body suddenly sagged, as her muscles untensed. She gave a single nod, and turned to walk back toward Nexus. She, and Grademon exchanged a glare as they passed each other.

"That reckless behavior is going to someone killed." the golden knight remarked.

Gatomon offered him no reply, and continued on her way.

"I should have her court martialed." Grademon grumbled under his breath.

"Just leave her be. " Wisemon interjected, as he approached him from behind. "Besides, I don't think you have the authority to court martial volunteers."

The knight simply harrumphed in response.

* * *

When Gatomon finally reached her place back on the wall, Dinohumon, and Patch, rushed over to her.

"Oh, thanks goodness you're alive!" Patch exclaimed. "I thought you were a goner!"

"What the hell Gatomon!?" Dinohumon shouted. "You could have gotten yourself killed running off like that! The hell were you thinking?"

"I...I'm sorry. I didn't meant to worry you." Gatomon replied guiltily. "I don't know what came over me. As soon as I saw those machines, I just snapped. I...lost control."

Dinohumon's features quickly softened, and she shared a worried look with Patch.

"Don't...don't worry about it. You're alright now, and that's enough." the champion eventually said.

Patch nodded vigorously in agreement.

Gatomon was only able to offer a half hearted smile.

* * *

"What sort of pathetic display was that?" Omnimon said.

He, and the other generals sat in the hall of thrones, looking over the footage from the machine's assault. The knights had been a little put off by Gatomon's sudden charge. Otherwise, however, it was rather routine, and the force was routed easily.

"They put all that bluster, and that's the best they can come up with?" Leopardmon harrumphed. He sounded almost insulted by the machine's first assault.

"It was far too easy." Gankoomon said, stroking his chin. "It could be a ploy of some kind. To lure us into a false sense of security."

"I agree." Gallantmon stated. "A force of several thousand does not come all the way to Nexus just to make idle threats, and pathetic frontal assaults. They must have some ulterior plan."

"I think you might be giving them too much credit." Omnimon scoffed.

She turned to him a glare. "We cannot underestimate our enemy."

"Overestimating one's enemy, can be just as dangerous as underestimating them." Leopardmon pointed out. "Overestimation can lead to paranoia, and underestimation can lead to complacency."

"A fair point." Gallantmon conceded. "But, I am always one to ere more on the side of caution. There is far too much at stake here. Nexus, is the greatest bastion of defense in the digital world. If it falls, the rest of the world will follow suit."

The other three generals gave a nod, though Omnimon's was a bit begrudging.

"Good. For now, let's continued as normal. There's no need to escalate security anymore than we already have."

"I think we should increase the size of our scouting parties." Gankoomon suggested. "We need to have as many eyes on the enemy as possible."

"Very well, but don't go overboard." Gallantmon looked to each of the three. "Is there any other business that needs attending?"

She received only silence in answer.

"Good, then meeting adjourned."

* * *

It was late at night, and the digital world's three moon's hung in the sky. Their light shone down on the city, and the plains below, bathing them in ghostly light. Many of the soldiers had swapped watches, and the daytime guards were all sound asleep in their bunks.

Gatomon had tried, and failed to fall asleep. The cat now sat atop the roof of one of the barracks. She looked down at her claws with a deep frown, brows knit in contemplation. She could feel the crunch of metal, and impact of flesh against her fist as she pierced Tankmon's armored hides, and struck the Commandramon. There was also the pulsing of her veins, and thundering in her ears.

All of it combined in her mind, and made her feel almost...excited. It made her stomach turn, that she could find satisfaction in such brutal acts. She hated the machines, and she wanted to destroy them for what they did, but she did not want to revel in it. And yet, those flashes of memory gave her a twinge of thrill.

She growled in her throat, slamming her fist into the hard shingles of the roof.

"Be careful! You don't want to damage something!" a voice half whispered from down below.

Gatomon blinked quizzically, and looked over the edge of the rooftop. Wisemon floated just below her, his yellow eyes meeting hers.

"Hello again." he greeted.

"Um...hello."

"You have quite a nice spot up there. Mind if I join you?"

Gatomon hesitated for a moment, before replying. "No. Go ahead."

With her consent, Wisemon gently floated upward, and placed himself a comfortable distance from her. The wizard then crossed his legs, and sighed happily as he looked up at the night sky.

"Is there a reason you're out this late?" Wisemon eventually asked.

"I could ask you the same question." Gatomon retorted.

"Good point." the wizard laughed. "Well, if you want to know, I was out on a late night stroll. Or 'float' as it were." He began to chuckle at his own joke.

"I see."

The cat looked back down at her claws, letting the moonlight play off of them. Wisemon soon stifled his laughter, and looked up at the night sky.

He, and many other scholars had been fascinated by it for centuries. The stars alone held so many mysteries. Some believed them to be leftover's from the digital world's creation. That GOD scattered them to the sky, to fill the empty night. The three largest of these 'leftover chunks of creation' was said to have been used to create the moons.

Others, like Wisemon, believed the stars, and the heavens were always there. That they, and GOD were born from some great cosmic event. That birthed all matter from a roiling chaos of nothingness.

"Have you ever wondered what's out there?" Wisemon eventually asked.

Gatomon was pulled from her thoughts. "What? Out where?"

"Out there, amongst the stars." Wisemon answered, with a sweeping motion. "Surely, the human world, can't be the only other world. There must be others, out in the vastness of the universe."

"I'd...never really thought about it." she admitted, looking up at the sea of stars. "I didn't even believe in the legends about human's until I met them."

Wisemon nodded at that. "Yes, their arrival has opened a world of possibilities. Just imagine, all the other worlds out there. The knowledge, that we could obtain. It seems boundless. Isn't it exciting?"

Gatomon shook her head. "Not to me. There's enough in this world alone. I would rather experience what's here, then go out searching for something that might be there."

"Those are some very wise words." He paused chuckling a little. "And I should know a thing or two about wisdom!"

Gatomon rolled her eyes. "Why are we talking about this?"

"Well, you seemed to have a lot on your mind. I thought I'd try, and distract you from it. If only for a moment. Sorry if I'm bothering you."

"No. It's fine." Gatomon sighed. "I appreciate the sentiment. Maybe I am thinking too hard about this."

"Yes, pondering certain things, will only get you so far. Although, there is something to be said about a little introspection. It can go a long way to help oneself."

After a few moments of silence Wisemon stood to his feet.

"Well I should be going to bed. You should as well. We're all going to need as much as rest as we can get."

Gatomon nodded with a sigh. "You're right. Good night Wisemon. Thank you for trying to cheer me up."

"Always happy to be of service." the wizard replied with a small bow.

With the greatest ease, Wisemon floated back down to the ground. He gave a wave goodbye to Gatomon, before heading off into the night.

The cat let out another sigh, as she watched him go. Then with her great agility, she hung from the roof's edge, and slipped into the window below her. She quickly found her bunk, where Dinohumon, and Patch slept on the two bottom beds. Gatomon leapt to her place on the top and lay down, letting the soft snores of her friends lull her to sleep.

* * *

Gatomon sat atop one of the walls parapets. She munched away at a small piece of dried meat, keeping one eye on the border of the plains. As she took her last bite, she heard a shout from one of the other lookouts.

"Captain, there's something approaching in the sky! Off to the west!"

All eyes turned westward, and they soon spotted a shape in the distance. Gatomon focused her vision on the approaching object. Slowly it came into focus, and she could make out its insect like shape.

"What are your orders captain?" one of the Gladimon called.

"Keep a close eye on it!" Grademon shouted back. "I want archers ready to fire if things turn dangerous!"

"Yes sir!"

The Gladimon gave a nod, and several archers pulled their strings. Arrows of light formed as they pulled them taut, ready to be loosed at a moment's notice.

As the figure got closer, Gatomon was finally able to make what it was. She gasped, her eyes widening.

"Everyone hold your fire! They're not an enemy!"

The archers turned to her, and relaxed the grips upon their bows. Grademon glared up at the cat. He would not have his orders undermined.

"I think she's right, captain." said Wisemon.

Grademon glanced back at the wizard. "What do you mean?"

"I sense no ill intent from their presence." Wisemon answered. "In fact, they seem weak, and exhausted."

Grademon tapped his fingers along the handle of his blade, as he considered his words. After a few moments of deliberation, he gave the order for the archers to lower their bows.

The figure finally arrived several minutes later. It was Kokuwamon, looking haggard, and drained. The machine came in with a crash landing, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Onlookers on the wall, watched on with bated breath, as Grademon and Wisemon approached him.

The wizard kneeled down at Kokuwamon's fallen form. The rookie's red eyes were dim, and occasionally flickering. Small sparks flashed between his pronged horns, but they were extremely weak.

"He's lost a lot of energy." Wisemon said, waving a hand over him. "He must have been flying non stop."

Kokuwamon's body suddenly twitched, and he let out a small groan.

"M...me…"

Wisemon leaned closer. "Can you hear me?"

"Y...yes." Kokuwamon managed to cough.

"Why are you here?" Grademon asked, an edge to his voice.

"Me...mes...message. Ref...ugees, need….h...elp."

Kokuwamon's eyes suddenly went dark again, and he fell unconscious once more.

"Get him to the medics." Grademon ordered. "I want to know more about these refugees."

Wisemon nodded, and lifted him up in his telekinetic grip, and followed the knight. Up on the wall, Gatomon's sharp ears had caught most of the conversation. A knot of worry, and anxiety began to settle in the pit of her stomach.

 **Author's Notes**

Hey guys sorry it took so long to update this. Trying to work on this, and the main story at the same time, is really time consuming. Thank you all for your patience.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3:Rescue Mission**

Kokuwamon was laid upon a cot in the infirmary. A pair of clamps were attached to his pronged horns. Cables lead from the clamps to a battery pack beside the bed. An occasional electric buzz emanated from the apparatus. As it slowly pumped electrical energy into his body.

Beside the bed stood a small bunny like digimon, called Cutemon. Their fur was colored a bright pink. A white scarf, was around their neck. As well as a stethoscope with large headphones decorated with a pair of red crosses.

Grademon also stood nearby, arms crossed. "What's his condition doctor?"

"He's drained almost all of his energy." Cutemon answered, his voice slightly high pitched. "Kokuwamon work a lot like electrical batteries. They can run for a long time, but they need to stay recharged. Otherwise they'll eventually be drained of power, and need time to fully recharge again."

"How long will that take?"

"Hard to say. I'll keep monitoring him, and be sure to let you know when he wakes."

Grademon nodded with a sigh, and headed toward the infirmary's exit. As he stepped out of the doors, he caught Gatomon out the corner of his vision. The cat stood by the entrance, waiting. She spared the knight an angry glare, before heading inside.

Gatomon looked about as she strolled into the infirmary. Dozens of cots were lined up against the walls. Each one had a curtain, that could be drawn around it. The cat's nose scrunched as she sniffed, the faint smell of chloroform, and other such chemicals hanging in the air.

"Umm...excuse me." Gatomon said, as she approached Cutemon.

The doctor turned, clipboard in hand. "Ah, hello there. How can I help you?"

"I was just hoping to see Kokuwamon."

"Are you a friend of his?" the doctor asked, brow quirked.

"Yes. Though, we don't really know each other all that well. He and I were among the prisoners from Phelesmon's tower."

Cutemon's eyes lit up. "Oh, that would explain the circuit mark on his body! I thought I had seen it somewhere before."

Gatomon paused to touch a claw to her own mark. "So how is he?"

"He'll be alright. He just needs to rest, and recharge."

The cat sighed a little in relief. "That's good to hear."

"So, was there anything else I can help you with?"

Gatomon was about to respond 'no', but stopped herself. She looked down at her claws, momentarily feeling shredding metal beneath them. It was underscored by the burning of the virus injection.

"Doctor...do you know anything about mental trauma?"

Cutemon's eyes widened a little. "Why do you ask?"

Gatomon swallowed a lump in her throat. "Ever since those machines showed up again, I haven't quite been myself. I keep seeing, and feeling all the horrible experiences I suffered at their hands. Yesterday….I finally snapped, and jumped into the middle of the battlefield. I was so angry, my body moved on its own. That's never happened to me before."

Cutemon set his clipboard aside, and approached her. "Well, unfortunately I can't really help you. My specialty is practical medicine, and surgery, not psychology. If you want I can look into finding someone for you."

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd very much appreciate that."

"I'll see what I can do." he smiled. "And don't worry about your friend. He's in good hands."

"Thank you doctor."

Gatomon gave him a respectful bow, before turning to take her leave.

* * *

Gatomon came to visit Kokuwamon in the infirmary late the next day. She sat at his bed side, eating her dinner. Occasionally she would look up from her meal to see if there was any change in his condition.

Cutemon stood not far away. The doctor was going over his inventory of medicines, and other supplies. He occasionally muttered to himself, as he counted, and checked each item off.

As Gatomon was in mid-bite, a large spark of electricity suddenly crackled between Kokuwamon's prongs. His eyes then flickered on, like a pair of leds. With a groan, he slowly looked about, his eyes soon laying upon the cat.

"Gatomon?" he asked in slight surprise.

"Yes, its me." she nodded. "Doctor! He's awake!"

Cutemon quickly set his work aside, and rushed over to Kokuwamon's bedside. "Good afternoon! Glad to see your awake. I'm Cutemon, and I've been your caretaker."

"How long have I been out?" Kokuwamon asked, sitting up.

The cables attached to his prongs went taut, pulling on the attached electric battery.

"Woah! Easy there!" Cutemon exclaimed.

He moved over to the battery, switching it off. He then leapt onto the bed, undoing the clamps. Kokuwamon ran a claw along his prongs, and gave the doctor a nod of thanks.

"How long have I been out?" Kokuwamon repeated.

"Nearly twenty-four hours." Cutemon replied. "How are you feeling?"

Kokuwamon experimentally snapped his pincers. "Fully charged, and functional."

"Excellent! I'm glad to hear it." He turned to the Gatomon ."Could you watch him for a bit? I need to send word to Grademon."

"Of course."

Cutemon gave her a quick nod of thanks, before taking his leave. The two watched him go, before turning their attentions back to each other.

"How have you been Gatomon?"

"Well...there is a war going on." she chuckled. "Other than that, things here have been nice. It's slowly starting to feel like home." She paused. "More importantly, what about you? Why are you here? What happened?"

Kokuwamon sighed with a deep frown. "After you all left to Nexus, I started to rebuild the station with what supplies we had. After that, Locomon and I started taking regular trips along the rail line, picking up, and moving passengers. We were even talking about making a few more stations along the way. Things were going great."

His frown deepened. "Eventually, word about the machine empire moving their forces began to spread. We heard about all kinds of destruction they caused in their wake. Then, a few days ago, we were stopping for repairs, when were approached by a large group of travelers. It turned out they were refugees from a town that was destroyed by the machine army."

Gatomon grit her teeth, digging her claws into the wood of her chair. She tried to hold back her anger, as Kokuwamon continued.

"So, we offered to take them to Nexus. Since it was the safest place in the world right now. But...when we neared the Nexus station...it had been taken over by the machines. It looked like they were using it as some kind of outpost. We tried to reverse back to another station behind us, but there was another group a mile or so down the track. Whether they had meant to or not, they had cut us off. We were trapped."

"So, I volunteered to go to Nexus, and get help. But the enemy spotted me. I couldn't lead them back to Locomon, or let them know where I was headed. I tried to lose them. It took me hours, before I was finally safe. I headed to Nexus after that, and well...you know the rest."

"Damn those bastards." Gatomon growled.

"Gatomon?" Kokuwamon said, a tinge of worry in his voice.

"Hmm? Sorry."

Grademon chose that moment to enter the infirmary. Cutemon followed in step behind him, while Wisemon floated at his side. The golden knight spared Gatomon a glance, then turned to Kokuwamon.

"I am Grademon, a captain of the royal knights. You said you had a message. What is it?"

The rookie explained the situation once again to Grademon. The knight listened intently, not interrupting despite his questions. When Kokuwamon was finally done with his story, he looked up to Grademon pleadingly.

"Will you help us?"

There was a long silence, as Grademon pondered the request. Gatomon stared at the knight, waiting for his response with bated breath. Should he refuse, her anger was ready to reach its boiling point.

"Very well. We will help."

Kokuwamon sighed in relief, and smiled.

"I don't have that many soldiers to spare, but I'll put a team together." Grademon went on. "Then, we'll mobilize, and rescue these refugees."

"I volunteer for the mission!" Gatomon exclaimed, standing from her seat.

Grademon was immediately going to refuse, when Wisemon intervened.

"I think that is an excellent suggestion!" he exclaimed. "You've shown sharp reflexes, and senses. As well as great fighting ability. A perfect combination for a more covert, and subtle operation. Don't you think so, captain?"

Grademon narrowed his eyes at Wisemon. He knew the wizard was taking Gatomon's side, and obviously had a bias. However, he did make several valid points. He could not refute the cat's agility, and skill in battle.

"Very well." He eventually conceded. "However, I have a condition. I will be sending one of my lieutenants as well. She will be in charge of this operation. You are to obey her orders without question. I will not have you running off on your own whims." He leaned down toward Gatomon, narrowing his eyes. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, sir." she answered with a glare.

"Good. Meet at he front gate in an hours time. There, you will meet with your team, and everyone will be debriefed on the situation."

"Captain...Grademon...sir?" Kokuwamon said, raising his claw shakily.

"Yes?"

"I'd like to go on this mission as well."

Grademon shook his head. "I understand that you wish to help, but I'm afraid that's where I draw the line. You've done enough for them, let us handle the rest."

"But..." The rookie's protest died in his throat, and he gave a nod in reply.

"Good." Grademon turned back to Gatomon. "Remember, two hours."

The knight then spun about, and and strolled toward the exit. Wisemon offered Gatomon a small wave, before following after him.

* * *

It was nearly dusk, when Gatomon arrived at the front gates. She could see a quartet of PawnChessmon standing there at attention. Each of them was well armed, wielding a personal weapon in addition to the standard spear, and shield. Gatomon was also surprised to see DinoHyumon there as well.

She waved toward to her friend, happy to see a familiar face. The other champion waved back with a smile.

"You volunteered for this mission too?" Gatomon asked, as she approached.

"No. Grademon picked me out." DinoHyumon answered, shaking her head. "So, what exactly, is this mission anyway?"

"You're about to find out soldier." said another voice.

Gatomon, and DinoHyumon turned, to see a Knightmon approaching. A red mantle was draped over her right shoulder. It was held in place by a golden brooch, carved into the symbol of the crest of the royal knights. The crest and mantle denoted her status as a lieutenant.

The PawnChessmon all quickly saluted as he neared.

"At ease." she commanded. "Now, to answer your question, DinoHyumon. We're heading on a rescue mission. A group of refugees has been trapped in enemy territory, and needs our help. Grademon has put me in charge of this operation." She spared a glance at Gatomon before continuing.

"Once the sun sets we will be heading out into enemy territory. We will use the cover of darkness to our advantage. Then, we will search out and find the refugees, and bring them back to Nexus safely. Are there any questions?"

When she received none response, she nodded. "Excellent! You have until sundown to prepare! Once your are done, meet me back here! Dismissed!"

Within the next couple of hours, the search party gathered together supplies, and equipment for their journey. Patch wished his two friends the best of luck, before they headed off to meet with the others.

The moon was slowly beginning to rise on the horizon, as the party all gathered once more. They all stood at attention, lined up, and awaiting orders. Knightmon looked along the line, inspecting them with a discerning eye.

"Is everyone ready?!"

"Yes mam!"

"Very well then. Everyone, move out!"

With Knightmon in the lead, the rescue party marched out of one of the cities side gates. Dark cloaks were wrapped about their forms. To better camouflage them as they moved across the plains in the darkness of night.

At the forest's edge, the lone figure of a Sealsdramon watched them from afar. He sat in the shadows of a treetop, hidden from sight. His infrared sensors were able to detect their heat, and pick them out from the darkness.

With a click of his finger, he activated his built in communicator. "Command, this is First Lieutenant 514C, reporting in, with an urgent message. "

After a few moments, the call was redirected. A deep robotic voice then came over the comms.

"First Lieutenant 514C, this is Major 138F. What do you have to report?"

"Sir, I've just spotted a team of seven leaving Nexus. They seem to be headed westward. Should I pursue?"

"Affirmative. I will send a team to rendezvous with you at supply point three. Until then, observe, and do not engage."

"Understood, sir."

"Good, Major 138F, out."

With a small beep, the comms cut. The lone Sealsdramon then leapt from the trees, landing on his feet. He began to move alongside the group of seven, keeping to the shadows, and the cover of the trees.

* * *

For nearly twenty minutes, the party marched through the night. They eventually began to turn toward the edge of the plain. When they reached the border of the forest, Knightmon gave the order to stop. She then turned to her team, looking over each of them.

"Once we enter the forest, we'll be in enemy territory." she stated, voice sharp. "We must be on our guard, and keep ourselves from being spotted. We cannot afford to get drawn into unnecessary fights. Our mission is to save the refugees, nothing more. Clear?"

"Yes mam!"

Knightmon nodded, drawing her side sword. The others, save for Gatomon, drew their weapons as well. The lieutenant then took her first steps into forest, her companions following behind her.

The party moved at a measured pace, trying to keep noise to a minimum. Shafts of moonlight pierced through the treetops, providing some amount of light. Though even with their silver glow, the forest was still filled with dark shadows. The PawnChessmon were on edge, ready to attack anything that moved within the darkness. Even DinoHyumon felt a bit unnerved by the darkness around them.

The only ones unaffected, seemed to the lieutenant, and Gatomon. The knight's training, and experience, allowed her to have a cool head, and keep a steady hand. Gatomon had years of experience as well. However, her natural feline nature also made her perfectly adapted to the night. Her ears could catch the faintest sound. While her eyes shimmered in the darkness, pupils growing to double their size.

After some time, Gatomon suddenly heard a small noise to her right. Her eyes narrowed, and she slowly moved toward the head of the pack.

"Lieutenant." she whispered, once she was alongside her. "I think we're being followed."

The knight kept her eyes forward, as she replied. "I've had that feeling as well. I've been getting the sense we've been watched for some time. Though it was just a gut feeling."

"I think they're not far behind us." Gatomon said. "I heard them, but I couldn't see them, not even with my night vision."

"A master of camouflage most likely." Knightmon surmised. "That, or they have some sort of cloaking device."

"What she would do?"

"Let the others know. But don't let them do anything that will let our pursuer know we're onto them."

Gatomon nodded, and slowly went down the line, whispering the news to her companions. They controlled their reflex to look about for their pursuer, and remained calm. The party continued on their course, bodies tense, and ready to spring into action.

After a time, Gatomon's ears began to catch the sound of other enemies. She counted at least eight in total, all of them moving with equal stealth, and subtlety. The cat relayed this new information to Knightmon, who simply took it with a nod.

The tense silence began to become palpable, as the minutes dragged on. Several members of the party could practically feel the eyes of their pursuers on them. Every shadow appeared like an enemy, and any sound could be a prelude to battle.

When the moon was reaching it's zenith, the pursuers finally struck.

Gatomon heard their movements, before eight Sealsdramon leapt from the shadow' of the trees. Their eyes glowed red, and a gleaming combat knife was held in each of their grips. Four of them, leapt in front of Knightmon's path. While the other four, targeted an individual member of the group. They were relying on the element of surprise to carry them, but they would not be so fortunate.

Knightmon hefted the blade at her side, as the Sealsdramon approached. With several quick swipes she parried their knives easily. One of them then dashed behind her in a blur of speed, dagger held in a reverse grip. She sidestepped out of the attacks path, then struck the machine with an armored fist. As he staggered back, Knightmon struck with a single rapid slash, cutting the Sealdramon's head from his shoulders.

As his body dissolved into data, she slowly turned to the other three. With her blade raised, she motioned them forward, goading them to attack.

Dinohyumon used her own knife to block the Sealsdramon's incoming attack. There was a flash of sparks in the dark, as the two edges met. The two began to exchange several swift slashes, more sparks beginning to fly. After a few more exchanges the Sealsdramon backed away, gaining some distance. He then reversed the grip on his blade, holding it aloft.

"Death Behind!"

Suddenly in a blur of speed, he disappeared. Dinohyumon's eyes darted about, searching for her opponent. That was when she felt the rush of movement, and bloodthirsty aura behind her. She quickly whipped around, narrowly blocking Sealsdramon's blade. With all her strength, she knocked the blade aside, and countered with a kick, and a slash to the Sealsdramon's chest.

As she came in for another strike, the Sealsdramon caught her arm, and threw her over his shoulder. He came down with his blade, as she lay momentarily stunned. Dinohyumon rolled away from the blade, and quickly rose to her feet. With a smooth motion, she sheathed her knife, and gripped the handle of the sword upon her back.

"Akinakes!"

With the shout of her attack, she swung the blade down with all her might. It's sheer weight, and deadly sharpness, cleaved the Sealsdramon right down the middle. The two halves of his body fell into opposing directions, before dispersing into particles of data.

The four PawnChessmon quickly moved together, back to back. They raised their shields, and weapons, forming into a defensive phalanx. The Sealsdramon that came in on them were quickly thwarted by their defense. Their blades proved ineffective against their combined shields. While each time they tried to find an opening, one of the PawnChessmon's weapons would strike out at them. Leaving them all at a stalemate.

Gatomon performed a deft handspring, avoiding her opponent's attack. She leapt toward him to counter, claws outstretched. The Sealsdramon dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. Gatomon continued forward, and bounded off a nearby tree, coming back at the machine with a spinning kick, and striking him across the face.

The Sealsdramon was sent reeling, but soon recovered and charged forward with his knife. Gatomon dodged to the side, the blade grazing her cheek. As the machine spun about for another attack, she rushed forward. With lightning speed, her claws thrust into his chest. He stopped dead in his tracks, and crumpled to the ground, body dissolving into data.

Knightmon quickly dispatched the three Sealsdramon before her, leaving only two remaining. With their companions now slain, the two Sealsdramon moved to make an escape. Gatomon moved on one of them in a flash, knocking him to the ground with a full bodied tackle.

Dinohyumon moved into the path of the other, her greatsword drawn. The machine readied his blade, aiming to cut her down. Dinohyumon sidestepped the incoming thrust, and brought down her sword to counter. The blade cut right through his middle, his body bursting into shimmering data.

Gatomon was about to bring her claw down on the fallen Sealsdramon, when she felt a firm hand grab her wrist. She whipped around angrily, coming face to face with Knightmon.

"I want him alive." the lieutenant commanded. "We could obtain some useful information from him."

After a few moments of tense silence, Gatomon gave a begrudging nod. She leapt off the Sealsdramon's back, and moved aside. Knightmon stepped forward, placing her blade at the machine's throat.

"Stand up, and drop your weapon!"

The Sealsdramon slowly rose up to his feet, arms upraised. Knightmon narrowed her eyes, making him finally drop his weapon. She kept her blade trained on his throat, and turned to one of the PawnChessmon.

"Tie him up."

The rookie saluted, and pulled a length of thick corded rope from his bag. The Sealsdramon made no attempt to resist, as the knight bound his limbs, tieing his body off to a nearby tree. After making sure the knots were secure, the PawnChessmon gave his commander a smart salute.

She nodded at him, and turned to the bound machine. "Now, you're going to tell me what I want know. Let's start off with an easy question. What is your rank?"

"My designation, is first lieutenant, 514C." he responded.

Knightmon was a bit taken back by the reply. She was expecting some kind of resistance, or insulting response. Not an immediate answer.

"Why were you following us?"

"My designation, is first lieutenant, 514C." the Sealsdramon repeated.

Knightmon narrowed her eyes. "What are the general's next plans of attack?"

"My designation, is first lieutenant, 514C. My designation, is first lieutenant, 514C. My designation, is first lieutenant, 514C. My designation, is first lieutenant, 514C. My designation…"

The machine continued to drone on, and on repeating the same response. Knightmon's patience soon weared thin, and she lashed out with her blade. The stream of responses was cut off, as the blade touched the machine's throat.

"I don't have time for your games." she growled dangerously. "You will give me the answers I want, or else."

He looked up to the knight, his red eye dilating to focus. "You won't harm me. Your knightly code won't allow you to harm a helpless digimon. Your threats are empty."

Knightmon growled at the machine, grip tightening on her blade. As she considered her options, Gatomon stepped forward.

"She may have qualms about hurting you, but I don't." she snarled, baring her claws.

The Sealsdramon slowly turned to her, eye dilating once more. "My scans show that you bear an injection marker from the original Abaddon virus. And yet, your are not infected."

"You damn machines captured me, and took me to Phelesmon's tower!" she hissed through grit fangs. " You tortured me, and injected me with that virus! So you could wait for it to take hold, and leave me your slave!"

"It is a pity that you somehow rejected the virus. You are a fine specimen, and a deadly fighter. You would have served Daemon well."

Gatomon's eyes turned to pinpricks, face shifting into a mask of fury. Faster than even Knightmon could perceive, she charged forward, sinking her claws deep into his right shoulder.

"You bastard! I'll make you suffer!" she roared, practically spitting in his face. "I'll kill every single one of you damn monsters!"

"Gatomon, stand down!" Knightmon commanded.

Gatomon ignored her, and began to press harder into the machine's shoulder. Her claws eventually pierced his more organic components, making him groan in pain. Before she could press any further, Knightmon grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, pulling her away.

"I said stand down! If you do not control yourself this instant, I will be forced to take extreme actions!"

The cat struggled against her grip for a few moments, before taking a handful of deep breaths. Her muscles soon untensed, body sagging and hanging limply from Knightmon's grip. With her emotions seemingly calmed, the lieutenant set her gently onto the ground. When she made no attempt to attack again, Knightmon looked back to the prisoner.

"I suggest you choose your next words carefully. I don't know if I'll be able to stop her next time."

The Sealsdramon looked up at the knight, then slowly turned toward Gatomon. Her head was hung low, but her eyes still held a cold fury. One that almost made the machine seize up in fear.

"Very well. I'll talk."

"Excellent." Knightmon turned to her subordinates. "Set up a perimeter. I don't want anyone sneaking up on us while I question him."

The group nodded collectively, and spread themselves out. Gatomon took a bit longer to respond, but did so all the same. Dinohyumon offered her a comforting pat on the shoulder, before going about her orders as well.

Knightmon continued her line of questioning for nearly half an hour. She logged all of it as she went, and sent it to command through her communicator. Once she was done, she called the others together, gathering out of earshot of the prisoner.

"He doesn't know as much as I would like, but I was able to get some useful info." Knightmon began, looking among the gathered. "Including some on the outpost at the train station. The outpost is not too far from our current location. It's also well guarded by a small platoon, and their commanding officer. There is also another patrol post, a mile out from there."

"Kokuwamon mentioned that." Gatomon said. "He said that with the outpost, and the station, on either side, they were boxed in."

"Right." Knightmon nodded. "We need to avoid the enemy as much as possible. So, we're going to circle around the main outpost. Then, we'll follow the tracks, and find the refugees. Any questions?"

"Just one Lieutenant." Dinohyumon said, and pointed to the bound Sealsdramon. "What do we do about him?"

Knightmon looked toward the prisoner, and strode toward him. With a swift motion she drew her side sword, and slammed the pommel into the side of his face. The machine's red eye lost its glow, and his head lolled to one side.

"There, that should put him out for a while." Knightmon turned to the group. "We'll leave him here. We can't afford to have him slow us down. But we should have this mission over, and done with by the time he comes to. Now, let's move out!"

The lieutenant spun about, and headed deeper into the forest. Dinohyumon, and the PawnChessmon quickly moved in step behind her. Gatomon lingered for a moment, staring at the unconscious form of the Sealsdramon. Her claws flexed, faintly glinting in the moonlight. Then, with a heavy sigh, she followed after the others.

* * *

Grademon stood alert at the main gates, moonlight gleaming off his armor. He had just awoken from his short rest, and immediately returned to his post. He had to stay vigilant, and could not afford a full night's rest. Even the four hours that he got were too much for him. Any less than that however, and Cutemon would be chewing his ear off.

Up on the wall, the nightwatch kept a sharp eye on the surrounding plains. Three Knightmon stood at the gate alongside Grademon, each one stiff, and alert. Occasionally Grademon would scan the the forest borders for enemies. Or, any sign of his lieutenant, and her rescue party.

After a time, he began to hear a distant sound on the wind. It started as a low thrum, building, and building up into a high pitched whine. The air seemed to almost vibrate with the noise, buzzing in Grademon's ears.

The knight drew his blades, and focused his senses. Behind him, his subordinates followed his example. Like a falcon, Grademon's eyes searched in all directions, trying to pinpoint the noise. As it continued to grow in intensity.

After a few moments, he saw several dozen shapes flying on the horizon. He focused in on them, quickly recognizing them for what they were. They were the same type of digimon as the one they had captured. The jet like machine digimon, Pteramon.

The squadron of Pteramon locked onto the knight as well. Along with the main gate, and the surrounding wall. The one at the head of the pack, then called out over their comms.

"Fire the first volley!"

"Missile Storm!" all the champions shouted together.

With the call of their attack, two missiles flew from each of their wings. They streaked through the air, leaving dozens of contrails of smoke, and flame.

Grademon ran toward the oncoming projectiles, and leapt into the air. With several deft slashes, he cut six of the missiles in twain. Several archers from atop the wall fired their arrows, taking down a handful more. The rest continued on their course, exploding against the city wall, and main gate. Bits of stone masonry went flying, and the ramparts crumbled in flashes of fire, and smoke. The thick metal doors of the main gate however, held firm.

The alarm was sounded, everyone rousing from their slumber. They moved with military efficiency, rushing to their posts. When all the archers were in position, Grademon gave the order to open fire. Arrows of golden light were loosed, and flew across the sky.

The squadron swerved, as the arrows neared. Though three of their number were still caught by the shining projectiles. Before they could fire again, the machines unleashed another volley of missiles.

With a flash of light, Wisemon suddenly appeared above the main gate. He narrowed his eyes, summoning forth his two crystal orbs. They spun around him, creating trails of ancient digital code.

"Pandora Dialogue!"

Over a dozen missiles changed their course, swerving toward the wizard. They passed through into the line of code, disappearing from sight. The archers upon the wall, and Grademon took down more of the oncoming attacks. Leaving only a handful to explode against the main gate, which still did not budge.

Wisemon floated to Grademon's side. "Is this attack more like what you were expecting Captain?"

"I would say so." Grademon retorted. "Thank you again for your assistance. That ability of yours is quite useful."

"You haven't seen what it can really do yet." Wisemon looked back to Pteramon. "They're coming in fast from the right."

Grademon raised his sword. "Archers, fire at will! Take them down!"

With the twangs of bowstrings, arrows of light flew across the sky. To the citizens in the city below who dared to look out, they appeared like shooting stars.

"Evasive maneuvers!" the Pteramon leader shouted.

The Pteramon spread themselves out, putting their jets at full speed. Despite their swift maneuvers, several more of their number were shot down. They held their widespread formation, as they continued toward the city, dodging several more volleys of arrows.

When they finally neared, they sailed over the wall, and into the city. They began to move in a circling formation, as the archers continued to fire upon them. The machines then rose higher into the air, just out of the archer's range. Within each of their chests a compartment opened up, revealing a line of explosives.

"Drop the payload!" their leader shouted.

With a loud a click, a bomb plummeted from each of the Pteramon. A menacing whistle was the only warning the citizens had before the bombs struck. Explosions of fire, and smoke erupted from the streets, and homes. Stone, and other debris went flying, and screams of panic filled the air.

* * *

Gallantmon strode from the hall of thrones to the nearest window. She gazed out to the city, watching the fire, and destruction below. With a growl of anger, she whipped out her communication device, and headed down the hall.

"Grademon! What's the situation?"

After after a few moments, Grademon's image appeared above the cube. "Ma'am! A squadron of bombers has appeared. We took down a few of their number, but they've moved just out of range. Wisemon has flown up to see if he can take some of them down, but he can only do so much. Should we mobilize the sky lances?"

"No, captain." Gallantmon replied sharply. "I'm on my way right now to activate the city's barrier. Do your best to keep casualties, and collateral damage to a minimum."

"Roger that Ma'am! Grademon out!"

The hologram disappeared, and Gallantmon quickened her pace, practically sprinting through the tower. She ignored the sounds of chaos outside, and continued onward.

She turned a corner, spotting Gankoomon running in the same direction. The crimson knight quickly caught up to him, and the two shared look. It seemed both of them had the same idea.

Soon, the pair saw a set of double doors at the end of the hall. A Knightmon stood guard on either side of the door. Their eyes widened as they saw the two generals barreling toward them. Thinking quickly, the knight moved to open the doors. Gallantmon, and Gankoomon offered him a word of thanks as they rushed inside.

The two came into a rounded room. In the center of the room, was a shimmering blue crystal, suspended several feet above the floor. Just below the crystal was a golden disk. Several circuit like lines, ran from the disk, spreading to the edges of the room. A large console was placed in front of the disk. A pair of crystals surrounded by a buttons sat near the center of console, on either side of each other.

Gallantmon, and Gankoomon moved over to the console, and pressed several buttons in sequence. The console sprung to life, and two crystals began to faintly glow. The generals then placed their hands upon the crystals.

The gem in the center of the room harmonized with the other two, and began to fill with power. Bright blue light soon started to radiate from within it. The disk below gathered the crystals energy, acting as a conduit. The energy flowed into the circuit shaped lines, spreading out through the system.

Four other crystals, placed within the bases of the wall's main towers were filled with power. A layer of energy began to flow from within them spreading outward. Slowly the four planes of energy converged, forming into a barrier around the wall. The barrier began to rise, taking on the form of giant bubble, encapsulating the city.

Wisemon saw the bubble form, and floated downward, before it began to close. The Pteramon were pushed back by the bubble of force. Some of them even getting caught by their own explosives, as they impacted against it.

"Break it down!" their leader shouted.

All of the Pteramon moved into position, unleashing their full payload of missiles against the barrier. A grand conflagration exploded against the barrier, creating a thunderous shock wave. When the smoke cleared, the barrier was left completely unfazed. They fired a full volley again, still nothing.

Their squad leader scowled, and switched on his communications. "This is Squad leader 729F, come in general Raijinmon."

" _Go ahead."_

"Ma'am we were performing our bombing run, but a barrier suddenly appeared around the city. We've hit it with everything we have, but it won't even make a dent."

There was pause at the other end of the line. " _Retreat for now. If you stay around for too long, they'll mobilize a counter attack."_

"Yes ma'am! Alright, everyone, return back to base!"

The Pteramon put their boosters on full, and turned back toward the forest's edge. A cheer erupted from the wall, as they disappeared past the horizon. Grademon did not join them, merely looking upon the destruction they had wrought. The damage seemed minimal, but that was small victory in the knight's eyes.

* * *

Knightmon's group slunk through the forest, keeping their profile's low. As they moved, Gatomon's ears picked up several noises in the distance. Faint, metallic clunking, marching footsteps, and whirring engines. No doubt the sounds of the nearby outpost.

After a time, the sounds could no longer be heard. When Knightmon was sure they were a safe distance away, the group moved out of the trees. They soon came upon the train tracks running through the forest, and followed along them.

They walked for nearly half a mile, before coming upon a low hill. As they crested the hill, they spotted the large form of Locomon, sitting placidly. His headlight was off, and his eyes were closed. The only sign that he was still alive, was a small trickle of smoke, billowing from his smokestack. Standing nearby, the group could also make out a pair of digimon standing watch.

One was a tall, humanoid fox digimon, with yellow fur. The other was a lion cub like digimon, with a tuft of red hair, and a golden necklace. Knightmon recognized them, as Renamon, and Liollmon.

"Who's there?" Renamon said, as the group approached. On the surface his voice was cool, and calm, but Knightmon and Gatomon could sense his unease.

"We mean no harm, we're here to help." Knight said, holding both hands into the air. "I'm lieutenant Knightmon, of the royal knights.."

"Kokuwamon sent us to help you." Gatomon added stepping forward.

"Kokuwamon? So, he made it?" Liollmon asked. "How is he?"

"He's fine. He was just exhausted when he arrived." Gatomon answered.

"He must have had to shake off some of those machines." Renamon surmised. "I knew he'd get spotted."

"Look, that doesn't matter now!" Liollmon exclaimed. "He made it, and now we can get out of here."

"Right."

Renamon moved over to Locomon, and gave him a few hard taps. With a low rumble, Locomon's engines revved up, and his eyes blinked open. He let out a loud yawn, and glanced over at Renamon.

"What's going on lad? It's not morning already is it?"

"No. It seems Kokuwamon was able to make it to Nexus. He sent us some help."

"Oh, bless all that is good." Locomon sighed. "I'm happy the lad is okay."

Renamon smiled at that, then turned to Liollmon. "Go get the others, and tell them to get ready to leave."

Liollmon nodded, and rushed toward the passenger car. As she disappeared inside, Knightmon approached Renamon.

"How many of you are there?"

"Including, Liollmon, and myself, there's a little over a dozen of us."

"Can you tell us what's been going on?" Gatomon asked.

Knightmon gave Gatomon a sidelong glance. "I was about the ask the same thing."

"About a week ago, our town was attacked." Renamon began. "Demons, and machines came in large numbers, destroying everything in their path. We were the only one's who made it." He looked down sadly. "Everyone else was either captured or killed."

He sighed, and met Knightmon's eyes. "After that, we ran, barely escaping them. It was several days before we came upon Locomon, and Kokuwamon. We were lucky enough that they had stopped on the rail's for repairs."

"We offered to take them to Nexus." Locomon interjected, continuing where Renamon left off. "We knew it would be the safest place in the digital world right now."

"I'm starting to wonder." Knightmon said under her breath.

"We headed out not long after, and had a pretty calm trip." Locomon continued. "But...once we started to get near Nexus, we spotted that outpost. After some discussion, we decided to head back but-"

"You were boxed in." Gatomon said. "Kokuwamon told us."

"Right. We've been lying low ever since then, trying to keep away from the machines. Been a couple close calls, but we've managed." A small gout of smoke spewed from Locomon's smoke stack. "If it were just me, I could barrel right through them. But, I didn't want to risk any of the others getting hurt."

"And that's why you sent Kokuwamon for help." Knightmon finished. "Well you don't have to worry any longer. I promise we'll have you to Nexus by morning."

"Thank you." Renamon replied with a bow.

Within a few moments, the rest of the refugees exited the passenger car. Just as Renamon had said, there were a little over a dozen. Most were rookie level, but a few in training digimon were also there. Packs of supplies, and cherished items were carried by many of them, some loads lighter than others.

"Can any among you fight?" Knightmon asked, looking among the gathered. "I want as much protection as we can get."

"Renamon, and I are the only ones." Liollmon answered.

Knightmon nodded at that, and turned to her party. "Alright, I want everyone to form a protective circle around the refugees. I will be leading the way in the front. Gatomon, and Dinohyumon, I want you to bring up the rear. Liollmon, and Renamon, along with the PawnChessmon will flank on either side. Understood?"

She received no questions in response.

"Alright then, let's move out!"

"I wish you all the best of luck." Locomon said, as everyone began to move into formation.

"Thank you Locomon." said Renamon. "We can't thank you, and Kokuwamon enough for what you've done."

"Think nothing of it. Oh, and let Kokuwamon know that I'll be waiting for him when this is all over."

With that, the newly formed group headed out, into the night.

* * *

The tension was high, as the party made their way along the track, and into the forest. The refugees were filled with a mixture of dread, and hope. They were finally on their way to Nexus, their promised sanctuary. But, only if they were able to make it through the darkened forest. Within which, the machines could be hiding anywhere, waiting to pounce.

Renamon, and Liollmon, were the only refugees that kept their cool. Both of them trying to set an example for the others. Knightmon, and the others also continued to carry themselves calmly. Though a couple were beginning to grow a bit anxious. Eager to see Nexus once more, and be safe behind its walls.

The hour was growing late, and the moons were just beginning to make their descent. Shadows shifted, as lights passed over. While less, and less nocturnal animals could be heard out in the darkness. It was an ominous sort of time, approaching morning, and yet still so far.

After walking for some time, Gatomon caught the sound of dozen's of footsteps. Alongside them there were as pair of heavy footfalls, that shook the ground. Renamon, and Liollmon caught onto it as well. The three of them were soon able to pinpoint that they were two separate groups. One off to their right, and the other straight ahead. They were nearing fast.

The information was passed along to Knightmon, and she called for an immediate halt. She thought quickly, and gave out her orders. DinoHyumon, and the PawnChessmon, were commanded to take the refugees back they way they came, then circle to their left. Gatomon, and herself would stay behind to lead the enemy away, and rendezvous later.

"I'd like to stay as well." Renamon offered. "I want to help as much as I can."

"No." Knightmon replied. " Getting you, and the other refugees back safely, is my top priority. I will not allow you to put yourself at risk."

"It's my choice." Renamon snapped. "You have no authority over me."

"We don't have time to argue about this." Gatomon interjected. "They'll be here any minute!"

After a few seconds of contemplation, Knightmon let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. Everyone else, get out of here now!"

Dinohyumon wished the three good luck, before heading back down the path. The other's soon followed quickly, disappearing into the night.

As the sounds of the enemy neared, Knightmon readied her blade. Then, with her in the lead the three dashed deeper into the forest. All of them making as much noise as possible to draw the attention of the approaching forces.

Soon, the trio could hear the machines change course, to pursue. They dodged past thick brush, and upturned logs, hoping to slow them down. Despite their best efforts however, the enemy began to gain on them.

Stray gunshots were soon fired. Those that weren't dodged, were blocked by Knightmon's heavily armored body. A few grenades, and other explosives were also tossed in their direction. Shockwaves, and thunderous explosions ringing in their three's ears.

The trio was suddenly stopped in their tracks, as they ran into a wide rushing river. Before they could even begin traverse it, the enemy was on them. There were at least ten Commandramon, as well as a trio of Sealsdramon, all well armed. The Commandramon immediately moved into position, aiming their rifles.

One of the Sealsdramon then activated his communicator. "Sir, we've found three suspicious digimon. One of them appears to be a member of the royal knights."

"Capture them." a monotone voice replied. "I want to know why they're outside of Nexus. I'll be there momentarily to question them myself."

"Yes sir!" The Sealsdramon turned to the three. "You're outnumbered! Surrender now!"

"Outnumbered-" Knightmon raised her blade. "-but not outmatched."

"Open fire!"

Barrels flashed, as the Commandramon fired in unison. Knightmon took the hail of bullets, none of them leaving a single scratch. As she drew their fire, Renamon leapt into the air behind her. While Gatomon circled around, dodging any stray bullets.

"Diamond Storm!" Renamon called, crossing his arms.

A dozen crystalline blades appeared around him. As he opened his arms, the shining blades rained down upon the enemy digimon. The Sealsdramon were able to take the attack, but several Commandramon soon fell.

"Cat's Eye Hypnotism!" Gatomon shouted.

The cat's eyes flashed a bright pink. Spirals of energy flew from her eyes, spinning in a mesmerizing pattern. Four of the Commandramon were entranced by the pattern, their vision growing hazy. They soon fell into a deep slumber, hitting the ground with a thud.

Knightmon charged forward, and cut down the remaining Commandramon with her side sword. The three Sealsdramon then moved in to counterattack with their own blades. But, they were easily slain with several lightning fast slashes.

As the Sealsdramon's data began to scatter, a rumbling noise filled the air. It was soon followed by another, then another, each one growing louder. Then, with a loud crash the towering form of a MetalGolemon burst through the treeline. Their hefty bulk knocked several tree's aside, snapping them like twigs. The machine's cyclopean eye quickly locked onto the three, as it glowed menacingly.

"Genocide Vulcan!"

The machine's shoulder mounted machine guns swiveled into position, and began to spin up. Knightmon pulled her shield from her back, readying it to block. Gatomon, and Renamon took cover behind her as the hail of bullets began to fly.

Knightmon grunted with effort, as the bullets hammered into her shield. The reinforced metal slowly started to give beneath the attack. Several dents, and scratches beginning to appear along it.

"I thought he wanted us alive!" Gatomon shouted above the din.

"Only one prisoner is needed for questioning." MetalGolemon droned in reply, finally ceasing fire.

With thunderous footfalls, he began to barrel toward them. Knightmon drew her greatsword, and rushed to meet him. With a loud clang, the giant blade met against one of the machine's claws. A struggle of strength followed, both trying to push the other.

Renamon flanked the machine's side, crossing his arms. "Diamond Storm!"

The flurry of crystals flew toward MetalGolemon, shattering against his heavy armor. Gatomon then leapt into the fray as well, striking with her claws. They grazed his form, leaving only a trio of small scratches.

Their attacks however, caused MetalGolemon to lose their focus for a brief moment. Knightmon saw her opportunity, and pushed with all her might. The machine went tumbling backward, and Knightmon struck with a powerful downward swing.

MetalGolemon raised their arm just in time to block. Knightmon's blade struck against the thick armor, leaving a deep cut. The machine then countered, thrusting forward with a claw. The chrome digizoid tip slammed into Knightmon's chest, leaving a deep dent.

The machine followed up with another thrust. Knightmon ducked beneath the attack, and swung upward with her sword. The blade's sharp edge slashed along MetalGolemon's chest, rending their armored plating.

MetalGolemon took several lumbering steps back, and took aim with their guns. Knightmon put up their shield, readying for the coming barrage. At the last moment however, the guns swiveled away from her. Both of the barrels then locked onto Renamon, and Gatomon, as they began to spin.

Knightmon moved with all the speed she could muster, leaping in front of the two. The heavy hail of bullets struck a fraction of a second later, hammering into her upraised shield. More, and more the shield was battered. Each volley it threatened to buckle, or shred apart all together.

When the barrage finally ceased, Knightmon's arm felt numb. Her shield was now left as a twisted piece of scrap, barely hanging to her arm.

"Both of you need to get out of here now!" she shouted, not turning around.

Without another word, she charged MetalGolemon, sword tip dragging along the ground.

Renamon, shared a look with Gatomon, and the two rushed to the river. After a brief cursory glance, the pair spotted a few upraised stones. Gatomon easily leapt to the first stone, then the second, careful not to slip. Renamon quickly followed after her, nearly missing the first stone.

MetalGolemon fired a another barrage of gunfire at Knightmon, slowing her approach. Their cyclopean eye locked onto the retreating forms of Gatomon, and Renamon. They lifted their arm, metal claw splitting open.

"Grapple Claw!"

The heavy claw flew forward, steel cable trailing behind it. Renamon barely registered the noise, before the claw took him in it's grip. With a sudden jolt he was reeled back toward MetalGolemon, and held aloft in his claw. Knightmon stopped her charge, cursing under her breath.

Gatomon, had reached the other side of the river, and turned back with a start. Her eyes went wide, and she leapt toward the nearest stone.

"Let him go!" she shouted, fury in her voice.

"Stay back Gatomon!" Knightmon commanded.

Gatomon ignored her, continuing to charge full speed. She leapt toward MetalGolemon, claws outstretched. With their free claw, MetalGolemon smacked her away, with a powerful swipe.

The cat was winded by the strike, and went skidding along the ground. She stood back up defiantly, and let loose a furious roar. Despite her injury, she charged again, circling around MetalGolemon. The machine opened fire, as she approached, but couldn't get a clear shot.

With another roar, Gatomon leapt onto MetalGolemon's back. The machine tried to swipe her off, but their bulky form wouldn't allow it.

Gatomon took her opportunity, and crawled along the arm holding Renamon. With her sharp eyes she scanned over it, finding a small opening in the elbow. She thrust her claws into the opening with all her might, piercing into their internal machinery. There was a flash of sparks, and the arm sputtered, before involuntarily releasing its grip.

As Renamon fell to the ground, MetalGolemon swung with their other arm. It smashed hard into Gatomon's body, sending her flying. With a solid crack, her body crashed into a nearby boulder. She let out a gasp, before falling to the ground limp, and unconscious.

MetalGolemon lumbered toward her fallen form, eye flashing menacingly. They raised their claw high, the metal glinting in the light. As the machine was about to bring it down, a loud, metallic, 'Shunk', filled the air.

Slowly, MetalGolemon's eye looked downward to see Knightmon's blade, sticking from their chest. Knightmon pushed the blade a little deeper, before pulling it free. A gaping hole was left in its wake, sparks flying from within. MetalGolemon toppled over with a loud creak, body dissolving into data.

With a heavy sigh, Knightmon sheathed her blade. She quickly moved to Gatomon, looking her over. A cursory scan showed she was breathing, but was still comatose.

"Is she alright?" Renamon asked, approaching with a small limp.

"I'm not sure." Knightmon answered. "She's still breathing, and that's good enough for me."

With great care, Knightmon lifted Gatomon up into her arms. "Let's go find the others."

Renamon gave a nod, and they headed into the forest. The sounds of the river slowly disappeared as they followed path.

 **Author's Notes:**

Hey just want to give a quick shout out to Linkmaste, Joey147, and coffeeliver22, for following/favoriting this story. Also thanks to all the other people, who came to check it out!


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4:Holy Light**

Gatomon's eyes suddenly snapped open, and she rose up with a start. Her body was in battle ready mode. Eyes slitted, claws bared, and muscles tensed.

That was when she felt a sharp pain in her head, and an ache throughout her body. With a groan, she fell back onto a soft bed. After taking a moment to collect herself, she took stock of her surroundings.

She was in the infirmary, sitting atop one of its many beds. The curtain was drawn around her. Several bandages, were wrapped securely around her head. Her left arm appeared to be set into a splint. Finally, an iv drip was inserted into her arm, still secure despite her movement.

Several moments later, the curtains parted, Cutemon stepping through. The doctor held a clipboard, and a fresh iv tube in hand. He smiled softly as he saw Gatomon's open eyes.

"You're awake. I can honestly say I'm surprised. I thought you'd be out for quite some time."

Gatomon rolled over to face him. "What...happened? I remember fighting that MetalGolemon, then I was hit and then...nothing."

"You got hit alright, very badly." Cutemon replied, moving to replace her iv bag. "You got busted up, and were knocked unconscious. The lieutenant carried you back to Nexus, and brought you here to the infirmary."

"So the refugees made it?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes. Everyone made it back safe and sound." Cutemon smiled. "The only other one who was injured was Renamon. But his wounds were minor, and he was up, and out of here in no time."

Gatomon sighed in relief, and allowed herself a small smile. "Good."

"You, on the other hand still need plenty of rest." Cutemon continued. "Try not to move around too much. Alright?"

"Yes, Doctor." Gatomon sighed, smile disappearing.

"Good." he nodded. "One of my nurses will be here soon with something to eat."

"Thank you, Doctor."

Cutemon gave another nod at that, and closed the curtain behind him as he left. Once he was out sight, Gatomon moved to a slightly more comfortable position. With a sigh, she held up one of her claws to the light.

The memory of MetalGolemon flashed through her mind. She felt the heavy strike knock the wind from her lungs. A loud crack, and the sharp pain in her skull came next, followed by total darkness.

Gatomon's brows knit, mouth forming into a deep frown. Then with another sigh, her claw fell to her side, and she stared up at the ceiling.

* * *

Gallantmon let out a heavy sigh, as she arose from her brief nap. It had been the first bit of sleep she had had in the last few days. After exiting her room, she made a beeline for the shield generator room. The guard at the door saluted as she approached.

"Good day ma'am!"

"Soldier, I need you to get a technician for me. I want them here as soon as possible." Gallantmon ordered.

"Right away, ma'am!"

The Knightmon quickly took off, and Gallantmon moved inside the generator room. It was only few minutes wait, before the Knightmon returned with a PawnChessmon in tow. The little digimon had a few grease, and soot stains on their armor. A large pack was slung over their shoulder, filled with tools of various sizes.

"Technician, as requested ma'am!" the Knightmon saluted.

"Thank you. Dismissed."

Once the Knightmon took their leave, Gallantmon turned her attention to the PawnChessmon. They immediately stood up straight, trying to look their best in front of her.

"What...can I do for you ma'am?"

"Last night, as I'm sure you're aware, we were bombed from the air." Gallantmon said, moving over the room's main console. "Gankoomon and I were able to thwart the attackers by activating the barrier from this room. However, in the short time that we took get to this room, more devastation was caused."

She turned to the rookie. "I want to know if it's possible to reroute the shield generator controls."

"Reroute? To where ma'am?"

"The hall of thrones." she answered. "I don't want this room to be the only access to the shield. Also, I want it so that only one general's presence is needed to activate the shield. Is that possible?"

"Umm...in theory yes." the PawnChessmon answered, mind working. "Making a direct link would require a lot of time, and resources though. Entire systems would have to moved. It could take weeks."

"We don't have that kind of time." Gallantmon said with a shake of her head. "Is there any other way?"

"Well, I could try create a wireless link, providing you remote access."

"And how long would that take?"

The rookie looked up, holding a hand to their chin thoughtfully. "About, three days?"

"You have two." Gallantmon stated bluntly. "Use any resources you deem necessary. I'll leave you in charge."

"Yes ma'am!" the little knight saluted. "I won't let you down."

Gallantmon nodded at that, and exited the room. As she walked down the hall, she whipped out her communicator. With a click of a button, Grademon's image appeared above it.

"How can I help you Ma'am?" he asked, saluting smartly.

"Captain, our response to last nights attack was far too slow."

"I agree ma'am. I take full responsibility."

Gallantmon shook her head. "No time for self pity captain. Right now, I'm looking into shoring up some or our weaknesses. Up until now only a general's command could mobilize the sky lances. I am delegating that power to you captain. So that we can more quickly deal with aerial threats."

Grademon seemed a bit taken aback for a moment. Before giving a single resolute nod. "Thank you for trusting me with this responsibility general. I'm honored."

"Of course captain. Best of luck to you. Oh, and give my regards to your lieutenant. I heard she helped save a group refugees last night."

"Yes ma'am! Grademon, out!"

With a click of button, Gallantmon switched off the communicator, and pocketed the device once more. She took a moment to look out of the windows before her. Down below she could make out crews working away at repairs. Bits of broken stone were being moved this way, and that. While new materials were carried in to replace them.

She turned about, and moved to the nearest elevator. "Yggdrasil's Peak."

With a small ding, the elevator doors closed, and the mechanism began to move. Dozens of floors flew by, as the elevator rose, higher, and higher. Gallantmon could almost feel the air growing slightly thin from the altitude.

After a few moments the elevator finally came to a stop. The doors opened up to an entryway, with a large stone door. The sigil of each of the thirteen generals was arranged in a circle upon the doors surface. A statue sat on either side of the door. One was of an armored knight, holding a blade aloft. The other depicted an angel with six wings, and a metal mask.

Gallantmon moved toward the door, and placed her hand gently upon it. Each of the sigils suddenly flashed, glowing with a rainbow of color. Slowly they then began to wink out until only Gallantmon's symbol was left. With a low rumble the doors slid open, revealing a spiraling staircase, going straight up.

The knight moved up the flight of stairs, coming out through the floor of the room above. She found herself in a giant sphere of shimmering crystal. Through the walls she could see the endless sky, and clouds passing by. The light from the sun, shone through the crystal, creating shafts of multicolored light. Carpeting the floor was a layer of lush green grass, dotted with flowers of every color.

In the center of the room, sat a cocoon of green energy. It pulsed occasionally, releasing small waves of warmth. Within the cocoon, Gallantmon could make out the form of Alphamon within. He sat in a cross legged position, eyes closed.

With a slow almost reverence, Gallantmon moved toward the cocoon. She placed her hand upon its shimmering surface, and looked to Alphamon.

"You wouldn't have let that attack happen." she sighed. "You would have been ready. Already seen the scenario well beforehand."

Her hand curled into a tight fist. "I thought I was prepared. I thought I was being cautious. But it wasn't enough. I was blindsided by a simple bombing run. All because I thought our defenses were good enough."

With another sigh she removed her hand, and stepped away. "I won't make that mistake again. I will not let your faith in me be wasted. I promise."

As if in reply, a particularly large wave of warmth poured off the cocoon. Gallantmon felt it course through her body, filling her with slight comfort. She smiled beneath her helm, and bowed to Alphamon's slumbering form.

"Thank you."

* * *

Raijinmon held a hand to her chin thoughtfully. Before her was a large screen, displaying footage from last night's bombing run. She paused the video several times, as the cities shield appeared on screen. Closely, she studied it, rewinding, pausing, and rewinding again.

"It's certainly very impressive." Fujinmon commented from behind her. "I didn't think a shield that large was even possible.

"Neither did I." Raijinmon said. "It doesn't seem to lose any strength from its size either. I wonder how much fire power would be required to break it?"

"Not much, if you know where to strike."

The two generals turned to another screen nearby. A figure, obscured by shadows was displayed there. Their voice was warped, and distorted by some electronic device.

"Go on." Raijinmon said, with a motion of her head.

"The shield is strong, that much is true." stated the mysterious figure. "However, it does have one weak point. You see, the very top of the shield, where the energy planes meet, is thinner. If your were to continually strike it with enough concentrated energy, you could pierce straight through."

"Interesting." Raijinmon said thoughtfully. "Thank you. I think we have what we need."

With that, the video cut out, and the two generals were alone.

"Are you sure we can trust this informant?" Fujinmon asked.

"Daemon chose them personally." Raijinmon replied. "I have little reason to doubt their judgment."

"Fair enough." Fuujinmon conceded. "So what's our next move?"

"I thinks it's time we show the royal knight generals what they're really up against."

* * *

Gatomon lay wide awake in her bed. She fidgeted anxiously, tail swaying, and claws tapping. It had only been two days since she had awoken, and she was already going stir crazy. She needed to move, climb, run- anything!

She had tried to occupy her mind, but nothing seemed to work. Her friends had come by as well to see her. And while they were a welcome reprieve, their time together was far too brief. The doctor had even given her some reading material, but none if it held her interest.

Finally having enough, she slowly sat upright. She perked her ears, listening for any signs of Cutemon. When the coast seemed clear, she slid slowly out of bed. Her body protested as she touched down, but she ignored it.

As she stepped out from behind the curtain, she briefly scanned the area. She then slowly tiptoed her way through medical tent. Her body continued to complain all the way, small aches, and pains running through her.

After making her way outside she took in a deep breath of fresh air. From the position of the sun, she could tell it was late afternoon. Its golden rays were partially blocked by thick white clouds. The sky was crisp, and blue. Birdsong flowed from the treetops, and butterflies flittered by in the air.

Gatomon sighed in satisfaction, and took a seat on the ground. She closed her eyes, and relaxed. With the stifling feeling of the medical tent gone, she was able to be at ease.

" _Finally. I don't know how much longer I could stand being in that place."_

" _You really only have yourself to blame."_ her mind reprimanded. " _You went and charged in just like before. And you got yourself hurt for you trouble."_

" _I had to do something."_ her conscious mind argued. " _If I hadn't, Renamon could have been killed."_

" _That's just an excuse. It was only dumb luck that you helped him. You weren't really thinking about his safety. You let your anger get the best of you."_

" _No."_

" _Yes."_ her subconscious hissed back. " _You wanted to destroy that machine. You felt that rush, as your claws pierced into this joints. You felt so powerful, like you could peel him apart."_

" _Stop."_

" _But that was quickly dashed. You were pushed aside like an insect."_

"I said stop." Gatomon growled aloud.

" _Part of you believed you could take your revenge on those machines. That you wouldn't fall to them again. But your pathetic, and weak. They'll crush you underfoot, and leave you in the dust. Or...perhaps worse."_

"No."

" _You'll be captured again. Tortured, and tossed into a cell. As you wait for your mind to ebb away, and the virus to take hold!"_

"I said stop!"

With that, the voice seemed finally silenced. With a deep sigh of relief, Gatomon leaned back once more. She pushed all thoughts aside, and let her surroundings soothe her. For many long minutes, she soaked in the gentle silence. Her body relaxing.

"Ahem."

Gatomon groaned inwardly, and slowly cracked one eye open. Standing before her was Cutemon. The doctor's arms were crossed, and his foot tapped impatiently. The cat had to hold back a laugh at the tiny digimon's display.

"I thought I told you to stay in bed." he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Sorry doctor." Gatomon sighed. "I just couldn't stay cooped up any longer." She paused for a moment, ears drooping. "I hate feeling like I can't leave. It's almost like I'm a prisoner again."

Cutemon's features softened, and he looked to Gatomon sympathetically. "Maybe some fresh air will do you some good. However, I think next time you should just ask. Instead of sneaking out behind my back."

"Sorry again, doctor." Suddenly the cat's ears perked, and she stood to her feet. "Do you hear that?"

Cutemon removed his stethoscope, and swiveled his ears. "Yes. What...is that?"

Gatomon's brow furrowed. "Somethings coming."

* * *

At the front gates, Grademon stood watch alongside his Knightmon subordinates. Wisemon was not far away, eyes closed in meditation. Suddenly, the golden knight, and the wizard felt countless approaching auras.

Moments later, several giant shapes came into view in the sky. They were large digimon with zeppelin shaped bodies. Rusty brown armor protected most of their form. At the front of the zeppelin was a pair of eyes, and a large metal spike. Two, three fingered mechanical arms hung just below it. At the very bottom was a passenger gondola, with a singular blue eye. Three small cannons protruded from its front, almost like a beard. Propellers spun on either side of it. Atop the blimps back were a pair long barreled cannons.

Flying alongside the zeppelin digimon was a large squadron of Pteramon. They moved in tight formation, ready to protect the blimp digimon at any moment.

From the treeline, platoons of Commandramon came marching forward. Alongside them, Tankmon, and Mekanorimon lumbered in their own formations. Finally bringing up the rear, were several MetalGolemon. All of them towering above their comrades.

"This is where the real battle begins." Grademon said, drawing one of his blades.

He then whipped out his communicator. WIth a click of a button, the image of a Knightmon appeared above the cube.

"Scramble the sky lances! We have enemies coming from the air!"

"Right away captain!' the Knightmon saluted.

As the signal cut, Grademon unsheathed his other blade, and turned to his subordinates. "One of you get the infantry forces ready! We need to hold the line."

"Yes sir!"

"Wisemon I want you to provide us cover."

"Of course. " the wizard nodded.

"Archers! Fire at will until I give the order to stop!" Grademon shouted upward. "Show them no mercy! The rest of you stand with me!"

With his orders, the Knightmon behind him drew their blades, and readied them for battle. Wisemon summoned forth his twin crystals, and the dimensional barrier around him. From atop the wall, arrows of light streaked through the air.

A line of Commandramon fell alongside several Tankmon before the arrows of light. The airborne targets however were still too far, and the arrows fell just short. Another volley followed, focusing on the ground troops. More Commandramon were felled, but they continued to march without hesitation.

Several Mekanorimon stopped as they neared the wall. Targeting reticules appeared in their vision, locking onto the wall ramparts. The lenses within their chests then began to glow, as they gathered energy.

"Target sighted. Twin Beam!" the machines called in unison.

Beams of searing light fired from each of the lenses. With explosions of red energy they collided with top of the wall. Several archers were instantly vaporized. While fiery rubble, and dust went firing in all the directions. The Mekanorimon continued to open fire, burning away more of the wall.

The other archers quickly zeroed in on them, and focused fire. With a twang of dozens of bowstrings, the Mekanorimon at the front were filled with arrows. They stayed standing for only the briefest of moments, before bursting into data.

Suddenly the front gates swung open. Several platoons of PawnChessmon, and Gladimon marched out from within. At the head of the pack was Grademon's Knightmon subordinate. Moving alongside them were other digimon of various sizes, and shapes. All of them looking ready for battle.

"Archers hold!" Grademon shouted, raising his sword. "Infantry, with me! Charge!"

Without hesitation, the golden knight rushed forward, both swords drawn. Wisemon moved in at his side, and the Knightmon followed right behind. A warcry erupted from the gathered infantry, and they charged after them. The sound of their thundering footfalls ringing in the air.

Several Tankmon opened fire, as the defenders charged forward. With flashes of gunpowder, explosives shells whistled through the air. Wisemon moved into their path, all of them swerving, and sinking into his dimensional field.

Like a tide, Grademon and his forces crashed into the oncoming machines. Weapons clashed against metal, and natural armor. Gun, and cannon barrels flashed. While laser's and other energy attacks flew in both directions.

Grademon was a blur, moving with incredible grace. No movement was wasted, each attack finding its mark. His sharp blades cut through the enemy like paper, scattering them to the wind. He had become a golden whirlwind of death.

Wisemon continued to provide cover to his comrades. His dimension field easily absorbing any attack that came his way.

"I believe it's time for a counter attack. Pandora Dialogue!"

Suddenly, the gems circling him shifted, and began to move in opposite directions. The digicode symbols around him began to change as well. The field of dimensional force warped, portals appearing on its surface.

Then, with violent force, missiles, and ballistics began to fire from the portals. All of them moving at double their normal speed. Every single attack the dimensional field had absorbed soon followed. Dozens of enemy digimon were caught by the barrage. All of them bursting into data as they were struck by their own attacks.

Up in the sky, two of zeppelin digimon moved into firing range. The two cannons upon their back flipped forward, and clicked into place. Alongside them several Pteramon moved into attack formation, missiles locked.

"Missile Storm!"

"Zeppelin Explosion!"

With the call of their attacks missiles, and cannon fire flew. They whistled through the air, before crashing into Nexus's wall. The explosions rocked the wall's foundation, making it tremble.

As they moved to fire again, several shapes appeared in the sky ahead of them. It was two dozen sky lances, all gleaming silver, and white. Three Knightmon rode at the head of the pack, their sky lances, marked with bits of gold. Behind them were Gladimon all with light aerodynamic armor. Each of the knight digimon wielded a long lance in their grip.

"Open fire!" one of the head Knightmon shouted.

Each member of the sky lance squadron lowered their lances. Their weapons began to glow, crackling energy gathering at their tips. With flashes of blinding light, beams of golden energy fired from the lances.

Several Pteramon, and one of the Zeppelin digimon were bombarded by attacks. The giant blimp started to plummet, before bursting into data.

As the aerial forces began to engage, Grademon, and his Knightmon squad charged. They cut through the enemy lines, moving to engage the MetalGolemon at the back.

The towering machines were ready for them, all opening fire with their heavy machine guns. With an order from their captain, three Knightmon moved forward. They raised their shields, forming a solid wall. The hail of gunfire hammered against the metal, creating an explosion of sparks.

The knights continued forward, as the MetalGolemon pounded them with gunfire. When they finally neared, Grademon leapt over his soldiers. With his usual grace, he landed between a pair of MetalGolemon, and thrust with his blades.

The two ultimates barely had enough time to raise their arms defense. Grademon's blades sunk several inches into their armor. The golden knight then pulled them free, and leapt away. Just as his opponents countered with a pair of claw thrusts.

Grademon's Knightmon squad soon moved in as well. All the ultimates began to engage. Claw, and heavy gunfire struck shield, and armor alike. While heavy blades cut through metal plating, and machinery.

As Grademon's squad engaged with the ultimates, the tide of battle turned. The frontline of Nexus's infantry began to cut a swath through the machines. Wisemon provided them support, moving in to absorb the more deadly attacks. While using those same attacks to counter the enemy.

In the air, the sky lances, and the Pteramon engaged in intense dog fights. Both seemed evenly matched in maneuverability, and firepower. However, the sky lances had the advantage in speed, giving them a slight edge. The blimp digimon tried their best to support, but were too slow to be of any help. More than one getting taken down by the swift sky lances.

The battle already seemed won. Until a trio of mighty roars filled the air.

Grademon glanced up to the sky, eyes widening. Flying toward the battlefield were three giant digimon. They were dragon like, with serpentine lower bodies. Their skin was orange, and leathery. While their underbellies were scaled, and colored yellow. Each of their arms ended in tri tipped claws, similar to the MetalGolemon's. Metal masks covered their faces. Finally, a pair of dark purple wings spread from their backs.

"Megadramon." Grademon growled under his breath.

The three dragons moved toward the battle in the sky. In unison, they raised their claws, opening them. In their palm was a large opening, surrounded by several targeting sensors.

"Dark Side Attack!"

From each of their palms, a missile launched outward. The missile was a strange mixture of organic, and mechanical parts. Appearing like an eyeless flying shark. They swerved toward their nearest targets. Each one getting a direct hit on a sky lance. With a few fiery explosions several sky lances were heavily damaged, or completely destroyed outright.

More machine reinforcements soon arrived. Two more MetalGolemon burst through the treeline. Alongside them marched three platoons of Commandramon. As well as a squad of Tankmon, and Mekanorimon.

Within moments, the tide of battle had turned once more.

* * *

Off in the distance, Gatomon saw explosions, and flashes of light in the sky. She could make out the vague shapes of the aerial combatants. Her ears told her much more. The sounds of gunfire, clanging metal, and thunderous explosions could be heard. As well the shouts, cries of death, and pain. All of it combining into the unique sound of war.

Cutemon heard it all as well, his face grim. "Come on Gatomon, we should head back inside."

He motioned toward the tent, and moved toward the entrance. But Gatomon did not follow, continuing to stare into the distance. Cutemon turned back to her, frowning in concern.

"Gatomon?"

If the cat heard him, she made no sign of showing it. Her claws slowly flexed, muscles, tightening, and untightening. With each new cry of pain, or explosion, her body twitched. It all felt so close. Even from here. It made her heart ache, and her blood boil.

A look of resolution came over her features. Then, without a second thought, she sprinted toward the main gate. Cutemon shouted after her, but she was already too far away. Her body screamed in pain, begging her to stop. But she was unfazed, and quickened her pace.

The sounds of battle grew louder, and louder, spurring her on. She moved past soldier, and civilian alike. All of them too caught up in the moment to pay her any mind.

When she reached the walls, she scurried up the stairs toward the rampart. An explosion shook the foundations as she moved. Only giving her a brief moment of pause, before she reached the top of the wall. She then looked across the battlefield, horrified at what she saw.

Gun fire, ballistics and energy attacks flew in every direction. Explosions occasionally erupted up from the chaos. Digimon fell, left, and right, all scattering into data particles. Many that survived the attacks barely clung on. Their broken, and battered bodies left to be trampled beneath the marching machines.

She caught sight of Dinohumon, and Patch among the chaos. The pair were in formation with a squad of PawnChessmon, and others. They were engaging a trio of Tankmon. Who kept them pinned with a ceaseless hail of machine gun fire.

Even Grademon, and Wisemon were having trouble. One of Grademon's knights had been severely injured. Leaving him a soldier down against the wave of MetalGolemon. While Wisemon could only defend, and support so many digimon. He found himself overwhelmed, moving to aid as many as could. But still came up short.

Gatomon was pulled from her thoughts, when a roar sounded above her. She looked up, to see one of the Megidramon moving toward the city. Several Pteramon moved alongside him, providing support.

The archers upon the wall, opened fire upon the machines. The arrows of light shot straight upward, creating trails of light. They all struck the Megadramon, glancing harmlessly off his thick hide.

When the machines finally reached the edge of the wall, they began to open fire. Organic, and regular missiles firing downward. Explosions ripped the streets, and buildings apart. All the while the archers continued to fire at the enemy. None of them even leaving a scratch.

Several missiles were then targeted at the ramparts. One was locked onto Gatomon's position. The cat couldn't react, as the missile hurtled toward her. Her body had finally refused her commands. Muscles too aching and tired to respond. All she could do was watch in horror, and wait for the end.

Suddenly, with a flash of light, a wall of force appeared before Gatomon. The missile smashed against it, exploding harmlessly. The plane of force continued to grow, merging with three others. As the energies converged, they fully formed into the dome like barrier around the city.

Gatomon nearly fell to the ground, her breathing ragged. She could hear her pulse pounding in her ears. Drowning out the small cheer, that erupted from the soldiers on the wall.

The Megidramon paused as the barrier appeared. They grinned, and motioned their head upwards. Their Pteramon escorts followed their command, and rose higher into the sky, along with the ultimate.

As they reached the very top of the barrier, they touched down. The barrier rippled slightly, but held just as firm as solid ground. The Megadramon inspected the barrier for several moments then raised their claw. It snapped shut with a clang, and then began to spin at high speed.

"Ultimate Slicer!"

With all the strength they could muster, Megadramon thrust their claw down. It crashed into the barrier, creating a giant ripple, and a flash of sparks. Megadramon then pressed down with their other claw, mirroring the reaction. With all the their strength they pushed, sending more, and more ripples traveling along the barrier.

* * *

Gallantmon, and the other generals stood in the hall of thrones. Upon the table before them was a large holographic projection. It displayed the entirety of Nexus, and the battle taking place outside. All of the enemy digimon were denoted on the map, with dots of red. While their own soldiers were deep blue.

They could all see the barrier rippling against the attack from above. Gallantmon nearly cursed aloud, as the energy finally began to fluctuate. If the attack continued, the barrier would lose its constitution, and be disabled. Leaving the city completely open to the enemies above.

"Dammit all!" Omnimon cursed. "The barrier is losing its integrity by the second!"

"How did they discover the barriers weakness?" Gankoomon asked, arms crossed.

"I don't know." Gallantmon answered. "But we can worry about that later. Right now we need to work on the problem at hand." After few moments of consideration, she stood straight. "I'm going to head out there to deal with this. Gankoomon, I'll leave command to you while I'm gone."

The other knight gave a nod in response.

As she moved to the door, she suddenly sensed a strange energy. It gave her pause, as well as the other generals. The energy was familiar, one they had not felt in centuries. It was soothingly warm, and radiated an air of tranquility. Like thousands of silver bells, it almost chimed within the core of their being.

"It...can't be." Gallantmon gasped, eyes widening in disbelief.

* * *

Gatomon could see the ripples along the barrier. With each passing second they continued to intensify. More than once she could see the plane of force almost warp. It was slowly losing its strength. She could feel it.

Her gaze then turned to the battle outside. The defenders continued to struggle against the machines. Dinohumon's group had fended off the Tankmon. But all of them were heavily injured, and winded. Leaving them with little defense against a wave of Commandramon.

Grademon was breathing heavily. Three MetalGolemon had fallen to his blades. It had taken most of his strength to combat them. His Knightmon subordinates were fending off the remaining giant machines. But they were all even more worse for wear then there commander. While the MetalGolemon were unfazed by the prolonged battle.

"Damn!" Gatomon growled. "All I can do is stand here! I'm so worthless! I can't help at all! All because of my own recklessness!"

" _Your acting like you would be making a difference."_ her subconscious whispered. " _Even if you could fight, what would you really accomplish?"_

"I could-" the words quickly died in her throat.

" _You could what?"_

"I don't know! Something! Anything is better than just standing here, and watching the world crumble around me! I could protect my friends! I could defend my new home! I wouldn't have to sit by, and watch this suffering!"

She fell to her knees, holding back a sob. "I could do something. Anything."

Above the world, high in the stratosphere. Three lights streaked across the sky. It seemed so long ago, that they had escaped the pit of the Dark Area. After that they wandered aimlessly, searching for something. Though what it could it be they did not know.

Suddenly, one of the lights stopped. It could a feel a pull within itself. Drawing it toward another presence, that resonated with its own.

With great speed, it streaked down from the sky like a comet. It paused for a moment as it reached the battlefield before Nexus. The chaos, making it ache with sympathy, and sadness. Then it felt the other presence again, and followed after it. The feeling grew stronger, and stronger as it neared the city. The barrier did not even slow it, its power allowing it to pass through with ease.

Finally it spotted the kneeling form of Gatomon. Slowly the ball descended, coming to rest right in front of the cat. Gatomon looked up, feeling the light's warmth. Her eyes sparkled in wonder, as she beheld its golden radiance.

Then, a voice echoed in her mind. It was soft, and gentle. Like the tinkling of wind chimes.

" _You are the one. The one I've been searching for."_

"What? Who...are you?"

" _You want to save everyone, don't you? I can help you."_

Gatomon struggled to her feet, legs wobbling "You can? How?"

" _I can give you my power. However, it doesn't come without risk. If your body rejects me, you could be destroyed."_

"I don't care. If there's any chance to save everyone, I'll take it."

" _Very well."_

The light suddenly shot toward Gatomon. She gasped, as it was absorbed into her body. Warmth coursed through her. Her core began to thrum powerfully, beating in sync with her heart. Every particle of her being was then suddenly energized.

She let out a cry, as her eyes glowed with gold. Her entire body then burst into pure white light. Like a prism, the white light spread shafts of multicolored light in all directions. Everyone down below looked up in awe at the sight. Even the battle seemed to slow as the light spread.

"Gatomon digivolve to…"

Gatomon's energy form shifted, and grew into a tall human woman. She had dusky skin, and long flowing locks of silver hair. The top half of her face was covered by a metal mask. Six angelic wings spread from her back. Silver plate armor covered her legs, and torso. Her left arm was protected by a long armored gauntlet. Two metal wings curved back on either side of it. Golden trim, marked with digicode runs, decorated many of the armors edges. A long ribbon of gold wrapped around both her shoulders, and flowed around her neck.

"...Angewomon!"

The shining light dissipated, revealing the angel digimon.

Everyone looked up to her in awe. Many digimon had been told about the legends of angels. How their beauty, and grace was beyond compare. Very few digimon still lived to remember when the angels flew the skies. But now, after centuries, one stood before them. A myth made flesh.

"I...don't believe my eyes." Grademon gasped.

"To think, I would see the return of the angels." Wisemon exclaimed, looking on with wide eyes.

Angewomon spread her wings, and flew toward the barrier. She gently placed her upon it. The plane of energy then parted, allowing her passage outside. Gently she floated over the chaos of the battlefield, and raised her hands high.

"Halo Of Light!"

From in between her hands, a ring of golden light formed. It quickly spread outward, tripling in size. Light shimmered within the ring, shifting into countless colors and hues. With a bright flash, rays of multicolored light, burst forth. They shot in all directions, spreading their radiance over the battlefield.

The defenders of Nexus all suddenly felt a warmth course through them. A subtle rainbow colored aura then began to surround them. They became invigorated, and refreshed. Open wounds started to close, bones, and muscles mending.

When the light disappeared, a cheer erupted from the defenders. Now filled with renewed strength they mounted a counterattack. The machines were momentarily caught off guard, and many fell beneath their enemies attacks.

With the battle shifted in Nexus's favor, Angewomon turned her attentions to the barrier. She flew upward with great speed, quickly nearing the barrier's zenith. She could see that the barriers fluctuations were becoming more, and more erratic. It wouldn't be long before it was finally penetrated.

The Pteramon soon spotted the angel, and opened fire. With several deft aerial maneuvers, Angewomon dodged out of their path. She then brought her hands together in a prayer like motion.

"Heaven's Charm!"

With the call of her attack, Angewomon spread her arms. Six orbs of golden light then appeared around her. With one last wave of her hand, the orbs flashed, firing out as beams of holy light. Each one targeted a different Pteramon completely destroying them in a shimmering explosion.

With his escorts gone, the Megadramon turned his attentions toward the angel. He roared, and flew toward her, claws at the ready. Angewomon rushed forward to meet him. She dodged the cyborgs first wipe, and countered with a powerful spinning kick. It struck him across the jaw, staggering him.

He shook it off, and opened both claws. "Dark Side Attack!"

Angewomon dodged the first missile, and kicked the other one aside. She then held her left arm aloft. The wings upon her gauntlet, grew, and a string of pure light was stretched between them. All the pieces coming together, to form a bow.

"Celestial Arrow!"

She pulled back the string, summoning forth an arrow of pure light. It flew forward, creating a trail of multicolored light behind it. The Megadramon could not react in time, and the arrow sunk into his heart. The arrow then burst into explosion of blinding light, scattering the ultimate into shimmering data.

The ripples upon the barriers surface, slowly began to dissipate. The energy then totally solidified, becoming hard, and unyielding once more. Another cheer could be heard from the citizens down below. Bringing a small smile to Angewomon's lips.

Angewomon then returned her attentions to the battle at hand. With deadly precision, she fired beams of light at the enemy, both on the ground, and in the sky. Those that did not fall before her light, met a quick end by her arrows.

Soon the machines began to fall back. The defenders of Nexus pursued, chasing them all the way to the edge of the plains. With the enemy routed, a rousing cheer erupted from all the soldiers.

With a sigh, Angewomon floated toward the ground, landing gently. Many of the soldiers all gathered around her. All of them offered their gratitude, and praise. Some even bowing at her feet, much to her embarrassment.

"Please there's really no need for that." she said gently. "I'm not some goddess to be worshipped."

Suddenly her form was wreathed in a blinding light. Slowly she shrunk, returning to Gatomon once more. All around her there were gasps of shock, and surprise. Dinohumon, and Patch nearly having a heart attack.

"I don't believe it." Grademon gasped, shaking his head. "She is an angel? But, how?!"

Wisemon moved in beside him, chuckling. "I knew there was something special about her. But even I couldn't have predicted this. This is truly a historical moment."

* * *

"Where did that power come from?" Omnimon asked, leaning back into his throne.

"I have no idea." Leopardmon answered. "It felt almost like...Lucemon's light. Before he turned to the darkness."

"Wherever it came from, it was a godsend." Gankoomon said. "But, I'm more worried about how the enemy knew about the barriers weak point."

Gallantmon clasped her fingers, looking downward. "I can think of one possibility."

The other three Knights turned to her with curious eyes. She looked up to meet their gazes, face grim beneath her helm. For several seconds a heavy silence hung in the air. As Gallantmon weighed the words she was about to say very carefully. Then, finally, with a silent resolve she spoke.

"There could be a traitor among us."


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5:Generals Take The Field**

A long silence lingered in the hall of thrones. Gallantmon's three companions looked to her with wide eyed shock. All of them in utter disbelief at her words.

The crimson knight leaned back into her seat. "I know, that is bold statement. But-"

She was quickly cut off, as Omnimon slammed an arm into the table. The force of the strike sent a small spider web of cracks, spreading from the point of impact. The hologram image above the table, flickered, as bits of white stone went flying.

"A bold statement?!" he growled. "Do you have any idea, what you're suggesting?! You think one of us is a traitor?! That is the most ludicrous thing I have heard in my long existence! How dare you make such an accusation!"

Gallantmon narrowed her eyes at the other knight. "I am not accusing anyone Omnimon. Not yet. I am simply stating a theory. If any of you have a another one, please, I'm all ears."

"Theory or not, it's preposterous!" Omnimon snapped. "We have all served the cause of good for centuries! Our loyalties have never been called into question!"

Gankoomon crossed his arms, looking downward in thought. "We've never had any reason to doubt. But now, I'm not so sure. The generals are the only ones who know about the shields weakness. It is one of our greatest kept secrets."

Omnimon wheeled on him. "You cannot seriously be considering this?!"

"Let us say your theory is correct Gallantmon." Leopardmon began, quieting Omnimon's anger. "What would one of us have to gain from betraying the order?"

"Exactly!" Omnimon agreed. "None of us could have any possible reason to betray the order."

"As far as you know." Gallantmon remarked. "Tell me, when was the last time all of us were together? Some of our brother's, and sister's have been gone for months. All of them spread out across the world. In that time, something could have happened. Something could have made them doubt."

"Theres also the possibility that none of us are traitors." Gankoomon said. "Perhaps, whoever gave the information did not give it of their own free will. They could have forced it out of them."

"You think one of us would break?" Omnimon asked.

Gankoomon turned to him, face stern. "I believe our enemy has developed a powerful virus, that turns others into mindless berserkers. That they have obtained the ability to travel freely between our world, and the human world. That the mastermind behind them all was able to deceive Lucemon himself, and take his power for his own. I believe that coming up with a way to probe information from us, is not beyond them."

Omnimon wanted to argue that point. But could not think of a response. With a huff, he dropped down into his seat.

"If either case is true, we have been compromised." Gallantmon said grimly.

"So, what do you suggest we do?" Leopardmon asked.

Gallantmon paused to consider her options. After a few moments of thought, she stood from her seat.

"I think that none of us should be alone from now on. Wherever we go, at least one other general should be there with us. We should also contact all the other generals in the field. Explain the situation, and see what they have to report."

She looked to each of her companions. "Be on your toes. If the traitor is among the four of us, they could try and make a move. Does anyone have any objections?" She looked to Omnimon as the last words left her mouth.

The white knight gave a begrudging shake of his head. Leopardmon, and Gankoomon did so as well.

Gallantmon nodded in satisfaction. "Alright then. I think it's about time we had a word with this new angel of ours."

* * *

Gatomon rode in one of the towers elevators. Wisemon was at her side, floating a few feet above the ground. The cat had been summoned by the generals themselves. Wisemon having quickly volunteered to take her to the tower. The pair had been slowed by Gatomon's new adoring fans, but otherwise had made good time.

The elevator soon reached its destination, and the two stepped out. Wisemon lead Gatomon down a nearby passage, and toward the hall of thrones. Gatomon paused before the great double doors. She had been here once before, but the entrance seemed no less imposing.

After taking a moment to collect herself, she gave a nod to Wisemon. The wizard nodded back, and made a sweeping motion with his arm. A burst of telekinetic force came forth, swinging the double doors wide open. The two digimon then headed inside.

The four generals all looked up as the pair entered. All of their eyes quickly falling on Gatomon. She ignored their lingering gazes, and continued forward. Wisemon paused for a moment, sensing a still lingering tension in the room. He decided to ignore it, and gestured to Gatomon.

"Here she is, as requested."

Gallantmon stood from her throne. "So, you are the angel?"

"I...suppose I am." Gatomon replied, feeling unsure.

"I believe we met once before." Gallantmon said, approaching the duo. "You were with the chosen twelve when they first came to Nexus. I don't think we were properly introduced. I am Gallantmon."

"Gatomon."

"Can you tell us what happened out there Gatomon?"

Gatomon paused for a moment, brow furrowing. "I'm not really sure. I was watching the battle, trying to think of how I could help. Then...this light came down to me from nowhere."

"A light?" Gankoomon asked with intense intrigue. "What was it like?"

"It was the brightest gold, and warm. So very warm. It came in waves, and each time I could feel something inside myself, calling to it." She held a claw to her chest, recalling the feeling. "That was when it spoke to me."

The generals, and Wisemon all gasped slightly in surprise. Even Omnimon seemed to be suddenly pulled from his stupor.

"It...spoke?" Gallantmon asked.

Gatomon nodded in reply. "It told me that it could help me save everyone. So, I accepted its power. I felt a rush, and that warmth from before coursed through me. Then...I changed. I had never felt so powerful, and so free. It was like-" She paused, trying to think of the right words. "It was like I had become whole."

All of the generals shared a look. Gallantmon then moved in front of Gatomon.

"And you have no idea where this light came from?"

Gatomon shook her head in response. Gallantmon nodded in understanding, and kneeled down to face her. Gently she held up a hand, and reached out to Gatomon.

"May I?" she asked, her hand now only a few inches away.

Gatomon hesitated for a moment, before giving a single nod of consent. Tentatively, Gallantmon put her armored hand atop the cat's head. She closed her eyes, Gatomon mirroring her.

The knight focused intently, reaching out to the power within Gatomon's core. She soon felt resistance, the power unconsciously lashing out. Gallantmon soon made her intentions known however, and was allowed to probe deeper within. Soon she felt an incredible warmth. It soothed, and calmed her own spirit.

After reading the aura for a few moments, she opened her eyes. She then removed her hand, and stood once more. Gatomon looked up to her expectantly along with the others in the room.

"It's as I thought." the crimson knight began. "She has Lucemon's light."

Leopardmon stood from his seat. "Are you sure?"

Gallantmon turned to him with a nod. "Yes, I'm positive. But, it's...not as strong as before. Almost as if it's incomplete. I can also feel it slowly bonding with Gatomon. Soon, I think it may take on a new form."

Gatomon looked to her claws. "Lucemon's light?"

"Thats right." Gallantmon said.

Wisemon came forward, moving to Gatomon's side. "You see, long ago, when GOD first created the world. They forged a digicore, of pure, shining light. It was so resplendent, and beautiful, it was said, to move anyone to tears. With this core, they created Lucemon."

The wizard gestured to a nearby angel statue. "From that original core, the angel's cores were made. All of them forged in the image of Lucemon's But, none of them held the full power of Lucemon's core. It was GOD's gift to him, and contained a piece of their own essence."

"But how on earth, does she have Lucemon's light?" Omnimon asked. "Where did it come from?"

Gankoomon pondered that thought for a moment. "I remember, when the digidestined defeated Lucemon, they said his core split. Daemon took the dark half, and the light disappeared."

Leopardmon put a hand to his chin. "So the light, must have broken up, and returned to the surface. The remaining parts of the light must still be out there."

"But why did it come to me?" Gatomon asked, starting to feel overwhelmed by all this new information.

"It must have seen something in you." Gallantmon answered. "Just like the sigils saw something in the digidestined. In you it must have seen a perfect bearer of it's power." She kneeled down once more, placing a hand upon Gatomon. "You have been burdened with a heavy responsibility. You must learn to be strong, and bear it."

"But I…"

"Did you not see the people's faces Gatomon?" Wisemon asked. "You brought them hope. With your power you can be a beacon of light for the world, in this dark time." He smiled beneath his hood. "But you needn't carry the torch alone."

Gatomon looked between the pair, both of them giving her nods of encouragement. She cracked a small, but hopeful smile, and returned the gesture.

The moment was suddenly interrupted when Gallantmon's communicator began to flash. She whipped it out, and switched it on. The image flickered for a moment, before it came into focus. Revealing the form of a saluting Knightmon.

" _M'am this is outpost A2 reporting! I've been trying to reach the main communication room, but it wasn't responding. I have an urgent report."_

Gallantmon glanced over at Omnimon, and the spider web of cracks before him. He avoided her gaze, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Apologies, we've had some technical difficulties." Gallantmon said, looking back to the hologram. "What do you have to report?"

The Knightmon quickly dropped their salute. " _Ma'm we've found something just a couple of miles out of Nexus. It appears to be a rift, and it's stable m'am. It hasn't disappeared since we found it."_

"What?!" Gallantmon exclaimed. "There's never been a rift anywhere near Nexus!"

"And for it to be stable?" Gankoomon said, equally as surprised. "How this is possible?"

"It could be more side effects of Daemon's tampering." Leopardmon suggested. "Alphamon did say that we could see other effects do to the human world coming into sync with ours."

"It could also be a gateway for enemy reinforcements." Omnimon added.

"Both of those are distinct possibilities." Gallantmon thought aloud. "For now I want you to keep it under careful observation. Understood?"

" _Yes, ma'am!"_ The knight paused for a moment, considering his words. " _Theres...also something else, ma'am."_

Gallantmon narrowed her eyes, suddenly getting a sinking feeling in her gut. "Go on."

" _We've just got some reports in from some other outposts. Over the past few days, they've reported seeing something gigantic, moving across the continent."_ The knight swallowed. " _One of the scouts described it as...a moving fortress."_

A stunned silence suddenly fell over the room. Gankoomon soon held his face in his hand, and hung his head low.

"It's just one thing after another." he sighed heavily.

"Send those reports. I want to see them for myself." Gallantmon ordered, after recovering from the initial shock.

" _Of course ma'am."_ the Knightmon nodded. " _I'll have it done right away. Outpost A2 out!"_

With that, the call was cut, and the hologram flickered out of existence.

Gallantmon let out a heavy sigh, and pocketed the device. "Looks like we have some reports to go over." She turned toward Gatomon, and Wisemon. "Thank you for coming. You can both return to the wall. Gatomon, I'd like you to be with Wisemon, and Grademon at the front gate. You three are easily the strongest digimon here, other than ourselves. I need your power on the front lines."

"Of course."Wisemon bowed.

Gatomon did not like the idea of having to work with Grademon. Still she couldn't argue Gallantmon's point. And the safety of Nexus was far more important than her own problems. So, she gave a nod, and followed Wisemon out of the doors, and toward the nearest elevator.

* * *

The next day brought only gloomy weather. Grey clouds hung thickly in the sky, completely blocking out the sun. The air was heavy, and held a slight chill. Every so often, rolling thunder could be heard off in the distance. The occasional drizzle drifted from the clouds, and had yet to turn into a true downpour.

Gallantmon sat in her quarters, across from Gankoomon. Between the pair was a game of chess, several pieces already been taken on both sides. The crimson knight was only half paying attention to the game. Her eyes looked out to the gloom outside, mind wandering.

The reports from yesterday had her mind working. Apparently, the supposed 'moving fortress' had been spotted only several days after the machines arrived. Its path seemed be leading it straight toward Nexus. The two were obviously connected.

Any pictures, or video evidence were shaudy. The object appearing too large to really get into frame properly. From the eyewitness testimonies, it had been described as 'as large as an entire town'. It left a path of destruction in its wake, toppling entire stretches of forests.

Perhaps this living fortress was the machines ultimate weapon? Gallantmon couldn't really say for sure.

Then there was the appearance of the rift. If Alphamon were awake, perhaps he could provide some insight about it. But the knight general still slumbered, recovering from his overuse of the Alpha inforce.

Finally there was the case of their information leak. And the possibility of a traitor in their ranks. After reviewing the reports, the generals contacted their seven comrades. Each one of them was surprised by the sudden line of questioning that came next. Some were utterly insulted, considering it an attack on their entire character. Despite their protests, Gallantmon continued with the interrogations. But wasn't able to find anything that might lead them to an answer.

"It's your move you know." Gankoomon said, pulling her from her thoughts.

She glanced over at her companion. "I'm really not in the mood."

Gankoomon frowned slightly. "Come on, if we're forced to stick together. The least you can do is humor me with a game."

Gallantmon sighed, and gave a cursory glance at the board. She moved a bishop into place, putting both Gankoomon's king, and remaining knight in check.

"Your move."

"I'd hate to see what you can do when you're actually trying at this game." Gankoomon grumbled, as he considered his next move. "This whole thing is getting more complicated by the moment."

"The game?"

Gankoomon looked up to her with a smirk. "Was that a joke?"

"I'm occasionally capable of humor."

The other knight laughed, before his face turned grim. "I honestly don't know what worries more, that rift. Or this fortress coming for us."

"I'm not sure either." Gallantmon sighed. "If only we had some way to get more information. But we're completely in the dark."

Gankoomon finally made his move, and put a hand to his chin. "Well, there's always the digidestined. If the rift is somehow tied to Daemon, then there's a chance they know what's going on."

"That's an excellent suggestion." Gallantmon quickly moved her queen into place. "Checkmate."

Gankoomon let out a gasp, gaping at the board. As he considered where he went wrong, Gallantmon stood up, and whipped out her communicator. With a press of several buttons, she attuned the cube to the one being held by the digidestined.

The crystal atop the cube flashed, and began to project a blue light. An image tried to form, but continued to warp, and shift. A chaotic static noise came through, constantly changing pitch, and intensity.

Gallantmon narrowed her eyes, free hand curling into a fist. "The signal is being jammed. They've been cut off."

Gankoomon looked up from the game with a grim face. "What should we do?"

"We have to hope they can handle themselves." Gallantmon replied. "Once we're done with this whole mess, we'll send them help. I have a feeling they'll need it."

"How will we do that?"

"I'm sure we'll think of something. For now, we need to focus on protecting Nexus."

Gankoomon nodded, and began to reset the board. There were several moments of silence, before he spoke again.

"Can I ask you something?"

Gallantmon turned toward the other knight. "What is it?"

Gankoomon lined up the white pawns, as he considered his next words. "Do you think one of us would really, willingly betray the royal knights?"

Gallantmon took her seat once more. "If I'm being honest, yes. Lucemon was beyond mortal, and he betrayed us all. If anything he show's us we're all capable of such things." She paused looking through the window to the dreary sky. "All it can take is a moment of doubt. Doubt in what we're fighting for. Doubt in GOD's will. Doubt in the digidestined. If you linger on that doubt, it could change how you think."

Gankoomon looked up to her with a frown. His body tensed involuntarily, fists curling. "You sound like...you're speaking from experience."

"Maybe I am." she replied, meeting his gaze. "Doubt has clouded my mind many times. I know it has for you too."

Gankoomon sighed, body relaxing. "Maybe once."

"As I said, that's all it can take."

The other knight could only nod at that. "Care for another game?"

Gallantmon smiled a little beneath her helm. "Alright."

* * *

With one final boom of thunder, the rain finally began to come down in earnest. Gatomon, Wisemon, Grademon, and his knight subordinates, all stood together. Above them was the top half of a domed barrier. The drops of rain pattered against the blue plane of force, running down to create a sheet of water at its edges. Up on the wall, the lookouts were all dressed in heavy ponchos. All of them mostly protected from the rain's heavy downpour.

Gatomon's tail twitched, as another boom of thunder rolled across the sky. "I hate this kind of weather."

"Cat's afraid of a little thunder." Grademon whispered to his soldiers, in a slight mocking tone.

Gatomon regarded him with an angry stare. "No, I'm not. But I do have sensitive ears. So, if you're going to mock me behind my back. I'd advise waiting until i'm not within spitting distance. Take that for what it's worth."

She gave him one last scowl, before looking back to the plains. Grademon growled under his breath, his soldiers, snickering behind him. With a quick glare from their captain, they were silenced. Meanwhile, Wisemon looked between the golden knight, and Gatomon, and let out a heavy sigh.

The two had been like this since yesterday. Grademon was very vehement about not having Gatomon at the front gates. But he could not refuse a direct order from Gallantmon. Gatomon felt similarly, and beared the duty with a grouchy reluctance.

At first it had been mostly quiet, but soon Gatomon's admirers began to approach. Gatomon was incredibly embarrassed by the attention, but took in stride. Grademon's nerves were slowly grated by the procession of fans. Even a few of his Knightmon offered Gatomon their attentions.

Grademon's annoyance quickly turned into bitterness. Which he expressed with snide remarks. Not one to take insults lying down, Gatomon would always quip with an acidic comment of her own. Wisemon tried to play peace maker, but the two ignored him, and continued their remarks.

At the edge of the treeline, a dozen red eyes glowed. In unison, the hidden figures of the Sealsdramon moved. A sleek, mechanical device, was attached to each of their arms. A small screen sat in the center of each one, surrounded by a series of buttons.

The lead Sealsdramon made a motion with his hand, giving the order to stop. He then raised his arm, pressing one of the buttons on the device. His subordinates followed suite, and an electric field suddenly crackled along their bodies. Their forms then slowly began to fade, before disappearing from sight. All the champions then clicked on their visors, activating their infrared sensors.

With weapons drawn, they began to make their way across the plains. The rain began to pour even harder, drenching their bodies. Subtle outlines could be made out, but were muddled by the torrential downpour. What little noise the machines made was completely covered by the pouring rain, and the rumble of thunder. It was the perfect cover for their attack.

They sprinted toward Nexus's walls moving in perfect formation. With another signal from their commander, the group split into two.

The first group continued toward the wall, circling toward one of the ramparts. With a flex of their wrists, several curved spikes sprung from their palms. They slammed their palms into the wall, the spikes sinking into the hard stone. Then, slowly they began to scale the sheer surface, using the spikes as handholds.

The commander, and the second group circled toward the main gate. Each of them had their blades at the ready, as they moved to encircle Grademon, and the others. Gatomon's ears twitched as she heard the faint movement of their approach. Her brow was knit as she tried to isolate the noise amongst the chaos of the rain, and the rumbling thunder.

Wisemon felt their presence as the machines began to encircle them. Their killing intent was like a beacon of light in the dark storm. With almost an imperceptible motion he summoned his crystal orbs to his palm. Just behind him, one of the Sealsdramon moved into position, raising his knife.

The machine then sprung into action, leaping toward the wizard. Wisemon was ready, and spun about, firing off his crystal orb. The sphere smashed into the oncoming Sealsdramon's chest, knocking him backward, With a crackle of electricity, and a flash of sparks, his cloak disappeared. His body then fell to the ground, knocked unconscious.

"We're under attack!" Wisemon shouted, as he called his crystal back to him.

Gatomon quickly looked about. Out of the corner her vision, she caught a faint outline in the rain. She flexed her claws, and leapt toward the invisible figure. Her first claw strike was parried by the invisible Sealsdramon. The second however, pierced into the cyborg's shoulder.

The Sealsdramon staggered back from the attack, electricity crackling off his form. His body began to flicker in and out of sight. He raised his knife, and reversed the grip, squaring off against the cat.

Grademon swiftly drew his blades, before he felt the point of a knife plunge into his back. He growled, and performed a quick spin, knocking his invisible attacker away. Using all his focus, Grademon scanned his surroundings. His hawk like eyes soon caught the blurred outline of his attacker. The Sealsdramon barely had time to scramble to his feet, before he was completely run through by Grademon's blade.

Up on the ramparts, three archers were suddenly struck with pain. All of them bursting into data, as the sharp point of a knife was twisted into their spine. The walls defenders all backed away fearfully, drawing their weapons. They quickly took up a defensive position preparing themselves for an attack from all sides.

Two of the Sealsdramon circumvented the shoddy defensive line. With several swift swipes of their blades, four more defenders were felled. Dinohyumon called from one of the ramparts above, barking orders to hold the line.

Shaking off their fear, the wall defenders bolstered their formation, locking shields, and raising several spears in all directions. With their new formation, they began to march along the wall. In the direction their attackers had come. The Sealsdramon slowly backed away, unable to find an opening within the phalanx.

Gatomon flipped over the Sealsdramon before her, kicking him in the back of the head. The cyborg spun about, form still flickering in and out of sight. They dashed toward the cat, swiftly swiping with their blade. Gatomon jumped back to avoid, the edge of the knife nicking her across the cheek.

Running on all fours, Gatomon slid through the cyborg's legs. She then leapt toward his back, claws outstretched. The claws pierced through his armor, their tips peeking out of his chest on the other side. With a sickly metallic noise, Gatomon removed her claws, and the Sealsdramon fell, scattering into data.

Around her, Grademon, and the others were dealing with the remaining Sealsdramon. Gatomon paused for a moment to look out across the plains. She could make out shadowy forms, hidden amongst the treeline.

A bolt of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky. As if they were signaled by it, the figures began to march from the forest. Gatomon's eyes widened as a massive army moved toward them. Battalions of Commandramon armed with grenade launchers, rpgs, and other weapons. Squads of Tankmon and Mekanorimon moved together, heavy treads, and claws feet kicking up spatters of mud. Lumbering behind them were MetalGolemon, eyes gleaming through the rain.

Grademon spotted the approaching army. "Everyone into positions! Ground forces to me!" He quickly turned to Gatomon. "I need you on the wall. Help them take care of these invisible nuisances."

Gatomon gave a quick nod at the order. The animosity between the pair had been quickly forgotten. Moved aside for the much larger problem at hand.

With her trademark agility, Gatomon scaled up the walls to the ramparts. She came down atop the wall, right behind the slowly retreating Sealsdramon. She leapt into the air, smashing her body into one of the blurred shapes. The Sealsdramon was pushed forward, his body soon impaled on the approaching phalanx spears.

As Gatomon, and the phalanx trapped the Sealsdramon, the other wall defenders took up arms. Arrows of light flew through the sky, striking the oncoming army. Down below, the ground forces all gathered together, moving in formation through the front gates. They formed a tight line, shields, and weapons coming together. With Grademon, and Wisemon at the head of the vanguard they charged forward to meet the enemy.

The armies crashed into each other like a tide upon the shore. Muzzles flashed, and artillery whistled through through the air. Swords, halberds, maces, and other weapons sliced, and smashed into armor. While arrows of light, and red laser fire flew overhead.

Gatomon, and the wall defenders soon felled the last of the Sealsdramon. The cat took a moment to catch her breath, before looking out upon the battlefield. She could hear the crunch, and creak of metal armor, and the crack of gunfire. Explosions mixed with the rolling thunder overhead, occasionally rising above the other noises.

With another breath, Gatomon leapt off the wall, and closed her eyes. She called to the new power within herself, reaching out to the light. Warmth flowed through her, as she was bathed in golden, and white radiance. Just before hitting the ground her wings spread wide, and the light disappeared. Angewomon's shining form was there for all to see, eliciting a cheer from many of Nexus's defenders.

"Heaven's Charm!" the angel called, bringing her hands together.

Six orbs of golden light surrounded her. With a bright flash they released their energy, raining down beams of golden light upon the enemies below. Each beam created a small explosion of light as it struck, catching several digimon in each blast.

Angewomon held her hands in prayer, continuing to fire more beams of light. Down below a pair of MetalGolemon locked her in their sights. With several clicks, their shoulder mounted machine guns moved into position. The weapons quickly spun up, unleashing a hailstorm of heavy gunfire.

Angewomon dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding the stream of bullets. She performed several deft aerial maneuvers, as the machines tracked her with their fire. With one final barrel roll, she dive bombed. Before reaching the ground, she spread her wings, and glided toward the two MetalGolemon.

Before the machines could react, she swung out with a powerful kick. It struck the side of one of the MetalGolemon, denting his armor. The force of the attack, sent the towering machine listing to one side. With another kick, the ultimate toppled, his bulky body now unable to move.

The remaining MetalGolemon brought his claws together, thrusting them forward. Angewomon caught the machines forearm with both hands. The force of the strike pushed her back, armored boots digging trenches into the earth. With a shout, she knocked the machines arm aside, and attacked with a flying kick.

The MetalGolemon staggered back from the strike, a new dent now decorating his armor. Angewomon took to the air once again, calling forth her bow. An arrow of multicolored light notched itself to the the string, before careening through the air. The arrow pierced through the machine's armor like tin foil, coming out the other side. The MetalGolemon's eye soon went dark, and it scattered into shimmering data.

With six blasts of light, Angewomon finished off the fallen MetalGolemon. She then took off into the air, continuing to rain down her attacks.

* * *

Grademon easily parried a swipe from a Mekanorimon. The machine was then quickly split in twain by Grademon's blades. With several more deft swings, he cut down three nearby Tankmon. The machines went sliding into multiple pieces before scattering into data.

From the knights right, a MetalGolemon's claw came flying in. It grabbed onto him, reeling him toward the machine. Grademon struggled against the iron grip, grunting with effort. As the MetalGolemon raised its free arm to strike, Grademon freed one of his limbs. With a twirl of his fingers, he spun his blade, pointing it downward. Then, with all his might he thrust the tip into the machine's arm.

Sparks flashed, and the mechanism shorted out. The MetalGolemon's claws loosened involuntarily, allowing Grademon just enough room to escape. The golden knight leapt away, gaining some distance on his opponent.

Slowly, the MetalGolemon turned to face the knight. A trio of Tankmon soon moved in behind the machine, raising their machine guns. The MetalGolemon followed suite, and the four digimon unleashed a barrage of gunfire.

Grademon began to quickly spin his swords. With his lightning speed, he parried each of the incoming bullets knocking them aside. When the fire finally slowed, he crossed his blades before him, a golden aura surrounding his body.

"Cross Blade!"

Grademon charged forward at blinding speed. The golden aura around him making his form resemble a shining comet. Within the blink of an eye he appeared behind the four machines. Then, with a cool calm, he sheathed his swords.

The machine digimon behind him all felt their bodies slide apart. Clean cuts forming along their forms. With pained cries they burst into shining data, and scattered into the air.

Grademon suddenly felt the wind around him begin to pick up. The data of his foes was quickly blown away by the stiff breeze. His cloak started to twist, and billow as the wind continued to build.

"Marut Cyclone!"

Grademon spun about, just in time to see a stream of green wind hurtling toward him. He leapt away to dodge the incoming attack. The wind quickly rushed by, the currents surrounding it nearly knocking Grademon off his feet. It continued on its course, smashing into the frontline of Nexus's defenders. Digimon were blown aside, this way, and that, their bodies battered by the powerful gale.

The golden knight slowly turned toward the wind's origin. He let out a gasp of surprise, spotting his attacker.

Fujinmon strolled confidently through the battlefield, heading straight for the golden knight. Grademon took in a steadying breath, holding his blades at the ready.

"Stand aside little knight." Fujinmon said as he neared. "If you do, you might live to see the end of this day."

Grademon narrowed his eyes. "I do not take orders from you, foul machine!"

"Oh well, I tried." Fujinmon sighed.

With a quick, nonchalant motion, Fujinmon flicked his arms. Flashes of red energy poured from the beam emitters. The energy quickly coalesced, forming into blades. A low hum emanated from them, as small sparks of red electricity crackled at their tips. Raindrops sizzled, and turned to steam as they came in contact.

"Critical Arm!"

With a flash of blinding speed, Fujinmon disappeared from sight. Reacting purely on instinct, Grademon raised his blade to block. In less than a blink of an eye, Fujinmon reappeared again, his blade coming down on the knight. The two weapons clashed, sparks, and arcs of electricity flying from the point of impact.

"Impressive." Fujimon complimented. "But let's see if you can keep this up."

In another blur of speed, Fujinmon disappeared again. Grademon only had fractions of a second to react. Before the mega came rushing in from his right. Fujinmon did a running pass, cutting into the knight's armor.

Grademon tried to fend off the next series of attacks. As Fujinmon came at him from all angles. Sparks flashed and energy crackled whenever to the two would meet. If Grademon's timing was off even by a hair's breadth, his armor would be adorned with a new knick or cut.

Fujinmon skidded to a halt a dozen yards away, kicking up a cloud of dust. Grademon took in several ragged breaths, thankful for the brief reprieve.

"You're better than I thought." Fujinmon said, genuinely impressed. "You live up to your reputation captain. But, how about we kick this up a notch."

* * *

Angewomon soared above the battlefield. With beams and arrows of light she cut down dozens of machines. The defenders of Nexus were emboldened by her presence. And if any of them were heavily wounded, the angel would be there to lend her healing touch.

From the treeline, Suijinmon watched the angel. With a small click, a targeting array appeared within her vision. The reticules all locked on, as the machines twin cannons moved into place. Suijinmon then slammed her arms into the ground, rooting herself in place.

"Time to clip your wings. Mugen Cannon!"

With a rumbling boom, two beams of yellow plasma fired from the cannons. Angewomon sensed the incoming energy, and dashed to the side. The two energy beams sailed past, rising upward to punch a hole in the dark clouds above.

Suijinmon lumbered out from the trees, weapons issuing with steam. Their targeting mechanism locked onto the angel once more. Before releasing a another pair of twins beams.

Angewomon dove out of the beam's path, and hurtled toward the machine. She raised a leg, coming in with a flying kick. Suijinmon was ready for her, raising one of her heavy arms in defense. The bottom of Angewomon's armored boots clanged against the chrome digizoid, stopping the attack dead.

With her free arm, Suijinmon backhanded the angel, sending her flying backward. Angewomon righted herself, grinding her heels into the earth to slow herself. She tried to stand, but faltered, limbs feeling like jello. Her head began to spin, the aftereffects of the powerful blow settling in.

Suijinmon chuckled, pounding her fist into her palm. "This is going to be fun."

* * *

With great confidence, Raijinmon strode onto the the open plains. She took a moment to survey the battlefield, as Raidenmon moved in beside her. With a motion of her hand, more machines poured in from the treeline. All ready to reinforce the ground forces. Up in the air, several squadrons of Pteramon came flying in, along with a trio of Blimpmon.

Raijinmon, and Raidenmon then began to make their way across the battlefield. They were intent on reaching the main gates, striking down anyone that stood in their path. Once the pair were halfway across the plain, Raijinmon suddenly sensed an incoming attack.

She effortlessly leaned back, avoiding an incoming crystal orb. The two machines followed the path of the crystal as it returned to Wisemon's side. The wizard floated toward the pair, his usual carefreeness now replaced with furious resolve.

"Ahh, the great Wisemon." Raijinmon said, looking over the ultimate. "One of the most powerful magic users in all of the known digital world." She gave a slight bow. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I wish I could say the same." Wisemon replied curtly.

Raijinmon chuckled lightly, and turned to her companion. "Raidenmon take care of him. I'll go on ahead."

"Affirmative." the mega replied.

Without another word, Raijinmon began to stroll toward the main gate once more. Wisemon bristled in anger, his crystal orbs beginning to spin.

"I think not! Pandora Dialogue!"

With a flash of light, the digicode runes appeared around Wisemon. From the pocket dimension, he summoned a barrage of missiles, and artillery shells. All of them aimed directly at Raijinmon. The mega however made no attempt to dodge.

Suddenly, Raidenmon sprung into action. Belying his huge bulk the machine swiftly rolled into the barrage's path. He raised his left arm, claws splaying outward. A crackling energy appeared in the middle of his palm, swiftly spreading outward. The energy then solidified, forming into a shimmering faintly yellow barrier. The missiles, and other ballistics collided with the shield, creating a giant fiery explosion. When the smoke cleared, Raidenmon was left unharmed, and Raijinmon was still making her way toward the gate.

Raidenmon raised his other arm, taking aim. "Electron Stream!"

Crackling, yellow electricity gathered at the tip of Raidenmon's weapon. The energy then released, firing forward as a beam of electricity. Wisemon quickly reversed the rotation of his crystals opening a dimensional portal. He strained with effort as the beam fired into the portal. Taking every ounce of his concentration to take in all the energy.

With a deep breath, Wisemon then made several more hand signs. The crystals changed direction once more, the portal releasing the energy it had just absorbed. Raidenmon raised his barrier. The crackling electricity smashed into the shield, and was slowly dissipated. All of it absorbed into Raidenmon once more.

"No." Wisemon grunted, his breathing now ragged.

* * *

Gallantmon, and the other generals surveyed the battlefield from the holo display. They could see the general ebb, and flow of the battle. Watching hundreds of red dots swarm in to join the sea of allies, and enemies.

Suddenly the comms flickered, as an urgent message came through. Gallantmon quickly patched it through, the image coming into focus. A Gladimon soon appeared on screen, the sounds of battle ringing out in the background.

" _Ma'am, the machine empire's generals are here! One of them is moving toward the main gate. We can't stop them!"_

Gallantmon quickly rose from her throne. "Hold out just a little longer! We're on our way!" The signal suddenly cut, and Gallantmon turned to her companions. "We're heading out. I'm going to put the cities barrier on delay, and then head toward the sky lance hangar. I'll meet up with you along with the other lances."

The other three generals all nodded, and rose from their seats. As they rushed out of the room, Gallantmon clicked away at the console. A timer then appeared before her, counting down from five minutes. She then headed toward the doors, following after the other generals.

* * *

From atop Nexus's wall, several archers took aim at the approaching Raijinmon. Four arrows of light soon flew, all converging upon her. Using her armored gauntlets, she easily knocked the arrow's aside, sending them careening in several directions. The mega then raised her arm, making a forward motion with her hands.

From the skies, a squad of Pteramon came swooping in. The flying digimon opened fire, sending a volley of missiles toward the ramparts. The defenders went scrambling, narrowly avoiding the missile strike. An explosion rocked the wall, sending bits of masonry flying.

Raijinmon continued toward the gates, making another motion with her hand. The squadron of Pteramon all moved into formation. All of them then unloaded their full payload, sending missiles flying into the streets of Nexus.

"Lightning Joust!"

Suddenly a mighty bolt of silvery blue lightning streaked through the sky. Six of the Pteramon were instantly ripped apart by the attack. All of them exploding into particles of data.

Raijinmon and the Pteramon scanned the sky, spotting several shapes in the distance. It was all the sky lance squadrons, with weapons at the ready. Leading the charge was Gallantmon. The knight rode atop a crimson sky lance, trimmed with gold. The vehicle's front was in the shape of dragon like beast, giving it the appearance of a living creature.

Gallantmon pointed her lance forward, its entire from crackling with electricity. "Lightning Joust!"

There was a boom of thunder, as another bolt of silvery blue flew from the lance. The rest of the Pteramon squadron were completely annihilated by the attack. None of them able to react to the deadly bolt.

The crimson knight looked downward, locking gazes with Raijinmon. She barked out several orders to the other sky lances. They all saluted in response, and charged ahead. Moving to engage the rest of the machines airborne forces.

Gallantmon came to land in front of the main gate. She hopped off her sky lance, and turned to face Raijinmon. Behind her, the cities barrier appeared, soon encircling the walls.

Raijinmon scowled, and made a motion with her hand, catching the attention of her allies. Several Tankmon, and Mekanorimon moved to her side. With a snap of Raijinmon's finger's the champions took aim. Once they were locked on, they all opened fire. Four red beams, and three artillery shells went flying, heading straight toward Gallantmon. The knight was quickly consumed by a giant explosion of fire and energy.

When the smoke cleared, Gallantmon still stood tall. Her armor gleamed, nary a scuff upon its surface. She narrowed her eyes, and raised her lance. Lightning crackled along it, before releasing as a single powerful bolt. Raijinmon leapt into the air, avoiding the attack. Her comrades were not so lucky, all of them scattering into data.

Raijinmon rolled as she landed. Keeping her momentum, she charged toward Gallantmon. Her hands curled into tight fists, as they began to crackle with yellow electricity.

"Blitz Arm!"

Gallantmon quickly raised her shield, as the machine came swinging in. A loud clang, and a shockwave rung across the battlefield. As Raijinmon's fist collided with the shield. There was a brief struggle of strength, before Gallantmon pushed Raijinmon away with her shield.

The knight rushed forward, unleashing a barrage of swift thrusts. Raijinmon used her armored gauntlets to knock the attacks aside. It took every ounce of speed she could muster. The force of the attacks still rocking her body.

Raijinmon then leapt away, bringing her hands together. Yellow electricity gathered between her palms, forming into a large sphere. Bolts of electricity arced from the sphere chaotically, ripping apart bits of earth, and stone.

"Electro Ball!"

The bundled ball of lightning shot toward Gallantmon. Arcing lighting traveled in it's wake, ripping the ground asunder. Gallantmon raised her lance as the ball hurtled toward her. With a crackle, and a boom, she unleashed a bolt of blue lightning.

The two electrical attacks collided, creating a grand explosion. A boom like the loudest of thunderclaps ripped through the air. Yellow, and and blue bolts of lightning arced in all directions. The earth burned away at the impact point, creating a blackened, glowing crater.

Gallantmon vaulted over the crater, and thrust down with her lance. Raijinmon dashed backward to avoid, and the two began a vicious exchange of blows.

* * *

Grademon sunk to his knees, breathing raggedly. His armored body was covered in gouges, and scratches. Bits of his of cape lay in tatters, and and several notches were carved into his blades. Fuujinmon stood several yards away, watching the knight with a sense of smug satisfaction.

Fuujinmon raised his left blade. "Time to end this."

With his lightning speed, Fuujinmon dashed forward, thrusting with his weapon. Grademon closed his eyes, as he waited for the blade to run him through. Suddenly, a figure appeared before the golden knight, deftly parrying Fuujinmon's killing blow. Grademon looked up, eyes widening as he met the gaze of Leopardmon.

"Are you alright captain?"

"Better now that you're here, general." Grademon answered, sighing in relief.

Leopardmon nodded at that, and turned toward Fujinmon. The knight readied his rapier, taking up a graceful fencing stance.

"Care to change partners?" Leopardmon asked with a hint of playfulness.

"Only if I lead." Fujinmon retorted, readying his own blades.

Fujinmon put on all speed, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Leopardmon kept his stance, and was fully ready when the attack came. He easily parried the machine's twin swipes, making him gasp in shock.

Leopardmon took that moment of surprise as an opening, and swiftly thrust with his blade. Even with his blinding speed, Fujinmon barely dodged the strike. The tip of the blade grazed his cheek, as he leapt backward.

Fujinmon quickly gained some distance, taking a moment to reassess his foe. He knew that blow had been meant to kill. It was no feint, or testing strike. His opponent had intended to kill him with that single stroke. If not for Fujinmon's reflexes, he would have succeeded.

The machine crossed his arms, making the air around him circulate. A swirling mass of powerful green wind quickly gathered around him. A large cloud of dust was kicked by the wind, and began to billow into the air.

"Marut Cyclone!"

The mass of wind shot forward, swirling to become a large tornado. Leopardmon raised his rapier above his head, as the cyclone approached. A faint white energy suddenly crackled from the base, completely surrounding the blade.

"Extinction Wave!"

Leopardmon brought down his blade with a powerful overhead swing. As the sword moved through the air, it released a powerful, blade-like shockwave. The shockwave cut through the cyclone, all its energy releasing as a powerful explosion.

As the wind started to dissipate, Fujinmon appeared behind Leopardmon in a blur of speed. With equal swiftness, Leopardmon spun about, deflecting Fujinmon's incoming attack. In the same motion the knight kicked forward, smashing his armored boot into the machine's chest.

Fujinmon staggered back from the strike. He quickly recovered, just in time to raise both his arms, to block a thrust from Leopardmon's rapier.

* * *

Wisemon fired a barrage of artillery shells from his pocket space. The ballistics whistled through the air, on collision course with Raidenmon. The machine quickly raised his claw, summoning for this barrier. They exploded against it, leaving Raidenmon completely unscathed.

As the shield dissipated, a ball of crackling electricity gathered at the tip of Raidenmon's tail.

"Discharge Bomb!"

With the call of his attack, Raidenmon flung his tail forward. The ball of electricity went flying toward Wisemon. The wizard flew to the side, narrowly dodging the attack. The ball of electricity traveled only a fraction of a second longer, before exploding in a giant blast of electricity. Wisemon was caught by the edge of the explosion, and was flung downward. His body crashed hard into the ground, parts of his cloak now burned away.

Raidenmon began to lumber toward his fallen form, when the sound of several giant explosions caught his attention His cyclopean eye slowly turned to see a swath of the machine's forces decimated. Dozens of soldiers consumed in blue energy explosions. Striding casually through the chaos, was the white form of Omnimon.

Raidenmon turned to face the knight, another ball of electricity gathering at the tip of his tail. He whipped his tail forward, catapulting it toward Omnimon. The knight continued to stride forward, and extended his right arm to the side.

"Transcendent Sword!"

There was a flash of sparks, as a giant blade suddenly extended from the dragon like mouth of Omnimon's hand. Didicode runes were emblazoned onto the blade, its edge gleaming with sharpness. As the ball of electricity approached, Omnimon swung his sword in a wide arc. The blade knocked the attack aside, sending it flying into the air. Where it exploded in a flash of yellow electricity.

Omnimon dashed forward with great speed, blade held aloft. Raidenmon barely had time to react, holding up his claw, and summoning forth this barrier. Chaotic arcs of electricity went flying as the blade collided with the barrier. Omnimon continued to pour on pressure, the shield beginning to warp beneath his strength.

Before the barrier could buckle, Raidenmon raised his other arm, gathering energy within. A beam of yellow electricity fired soon outward. Using his quick reflexes, Omnimon backflipped away. He landed on his feet with a heavy thud, coming to stand not far from Wisemon.

"Can you stand?" Omnimon asked, keeping his eyes on his opponent.

"I think I'll manage." Wisemon answered, sitting upright.

"Then I suggest you get out of here. I handle this one."

Wisemon gave a nod of thanks, and floated into the air. He then took off, toward the sky, intent on aiding the sky lances.

Another beam of lightning came flying toward Omnimon. The knight sidestepped, avoiding the blast. He then raised his right arm, snapping it to the side with purpose. There was a flash of sparks and smoke, as another weapon extended from the open wolf mouth. It was a cannon, with a heavy chrome digizoid barrel.

"Supreme Cannon!"

A trio of energy bullets fired from the cannon in rapid succession. Raidenmon quickly raised his shield, maximizing its energy output. Three giant explosions expanded outward, as the bullets struck. Some of the other enemy machines were even caught by the edges of blasts, all of them destroyed instantly.

When the explosions cleared, three, giant smoking craters were left in their wake. Raidenmon stood near the epicenter of one, shield still holding. From up above him, Omnimon stood at the edge of the crater. The white knight looked down at him ominously, holding his blade at the ready.

* * *

"Die! Die! Die!" Suijumon cackled maniacally.

The machine fired a near continuous barrage of plasma fire into the sky. Angewomon was using all of her energy to dodge the multitude of attacks. She bobbed, and weaved through the sky, trying to find an opening for a counter attack.

After several moments, Suijinmon's attacks finally faltered. Her cannons glowed with heat, steam pouring off of them from the rain. Angewomon saw her chance, and summoned forth her bow. A shimmering rainbow arrow soon flashed into existence.

"Celestial Arrow!"

The arrow streaked downward, heading straight for Suijinmon. She saw the incoming projectile, and leapt to the right. The edge of the arrow still caught her shoulder, cutting a groove along her armor. With a deep growl of rage, the machine took aim with their cannons, their surfaces finally starting to cool.

"You bitch! I'll make you suffer for that! Mugen Cannon!"

Almost instinctively, Angewomon called to the power within herself. She brought her hands together, a powerful light forming. The light soon coalesced into a shimmering barrier. Suijinmon's attack smashed into the barrier, which took the brunt of the blow. Angewomon however was still blown back by the force of the attack, her body quickly plummeting down to earth.

Suijinmon's cannon's lowered, locking on once more. "I've got you now! Mugen Cannon!"

Angewomon tensed, readying herself for the incoming attack. Suddenly, a large shadow flew overhead. With a loud boom, a giant boulder of stone landed between her, and Suijinmon. The surface of the stone shimmered, as if it were composed of chrome digizoid.

Suijinmon's attack struck the stone directly, burning a deep hole into its surface. It held against the onslaught however, protecting Angewomon from the attack.

Gankoomon soon came flying in, landing atop the giant boulder. He stood proudly, arms crossed, and jacket billowing behind him.

"Hey, no butting in!" Suijinmon growled, staring daggers at the knight.

Gankoomon ignored her, and glanced back at Angewomon. "You've done well! Now, let me handle the rest! There's others that need your help right now, young one!"

"Thank you." Angewomon said gratefully, getting to her feet.

Gankoomon watched her go, as she flew off into the fray.

"Don't you ignore me!" Suijinmon howled. "Mugen Cannon!"

Gankoomon flipped backward, avoiding the twin beams, coming to land behind the large hunk of stone. He curled his fingers into tight fists, as they began to glow like molten steel.

"Tekken Seisai!"

He unleashed a flurry of punches on the boulder before him. It shattered beneath the force of his blows, sending dozens of hardened stones flying forward. Suijinmon's eyes widened in surprise, and she held up both arms in defense. The barrage hammered into her armor with cannon like force.

As the attack finally ceased, Gankoomon came charging in, fists still aglow. Suijinmon met his incoming fist with her own. The two strikes clashed, a powerful boom erupting from the impact. Suijinmon then raised her free arm, fingers splayed out.

"Thunder Clap!"

With all her strength, she slammed her palm into the ground. A powerful shockwave exploded forward as it struck. Gankoomon was blown back by the force, flipping several times in the air, before skidding to a halt on his feet.

"Not bad." he chuckled, a small smirk on his face.

Suijinmon growled in anger, and took aim with her weapons. "We'll see how long you're smiling! Mugen Cannon!"

"Hikanmuy! Defend me!" Gankoomon roared.

At his call an aura burst around him. The energy quickly took the shape of the dragon like beast. It roared, and crossed its arms. The beam collided with the aura beast, sending small streams of energy flying in every direction. Hikanmuy growled in its throat as it fought against blast. Then, the attack finally dissipated, and the beast let out a roar of challenge.

Gankoomon dismissed him, and dashed toward his opponent. With no time to fire another blast, Suijinmon put her arms at the ready.

* * *

Gallantmon easily blocked another blow from Raijinmon's fist. She then countered with a powerful thrust of her lance. The machine attempted to dodge, but was still grazed by the lances tip. A long gash forming on her abdomen. She growled in pain, and performed several handsprings, leaping away from her opponent. She took a moment to catch her breath, holding a hand to her wound.

"Stand down!" Gallantmon shouted. "You can't beat me! Surrender while you still can!"

Raijinmon groaned, and stood straight. "I'm not trying to beat you. I'm simply waiting for our ace in the hole."

Gallantmon narrowed her eyes quizzically, before feeling a rumble beneath her feet. Another soon followed, and another, each one shaking the ground with that much more force. Soon, earthquake like tremors began to rip through the battlefield. The entire battle seemed to stop, all of the combatants looking about in confusion.

Gallantmon scanned about, looking for the source of the miniature quakes. Her eyes suddenly went wide as dinner plates, as she spotted a giant shadow off in the distance. It was the same shape as the reports she had looked over yesterday. Now however, she could make out the form in detail.

It was a fortress, made of towering spires of steel. It sat atop a giant mass of metal, almost like a carrier ship. Giant smokestacks were arranged all around, spewing noxious black smog into the air. A gigantic cannon, as large as a train, sat on the far left, and right. Batteries of other artillery, and heavy machine guns were arranged in various places. As well as several large missile pods.

The entire structure was carried upon the back of a colossal digimon. It towered above the forest, and had the appearance of a gigantic turtle. It's beaked face was protected by heavy metal plating, and its eyes glowed a sinister, fiery yellow. The beast stood on giant trunk like legs, each of them covered in heavy duty, chrome digizoid plates.

"Behold, our ultimate weapon!" Raijinmon shouted. "The living fortress, Eldradimon!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6:Final Siege**

A thunderous bellow erupted from Eldradimon's throat as it neared. More powerful quakes ripped through the ground with each of of its steps. Dozens of Commandramon, and other machines scrambled across its back. Several squads of Pteramon moved to its built in landing strip, arming for take off.

Raijinmon could not help but look at the creature with glee. It was the machine empires ultimate creation. It was once a normal digimon, captured by the empire. Through tireless experimentation, he had been reforged. Shedding all weakness to become something far greater.

Now, Eldradimon stood as the pinnacle of mechanical perfection. A walking fortress, capable of destroying entire cities all on its own. Now, it would be unleashed on Nexus, and its full power would be brought to bare.

Raijinmon was suddenly pulled back to reality, as Gallantmon came charging in. The machine general barely dodged a thrust from her lance. She then took up her stance once more, fists raised in defense.

Gallantmon tried to ignore the approaching beast. Keeping her focus on the opponent before her.

"Blitz Arm!" Raijinmon suddenly roared.

The machine dashed forward at top speed, her fists crackling with electricity. With another shout, she unleashed a wild flurry of high speed punches. Gallantmon covered her body with her shield, weathering the storm of strikes. Each one resounded through the air as it struck, sending a shock through Gallantmon's arm.

When the wild attack began to slow, the crimson knight pushed back with her shield. Using it like a battering ram, she slammed it into Raijinmon, send her flying back. Gallantmon then raised her lance, firing off a bolt of silver lightning.

Raijinmon had barely enough to raise her arms in defense. The bolt struck her dead on, sending a wave of pain through her body. Her arms dropped to her sides, as the attack passed. Her armored forearms glowed with heat from the onslaught.

The machine panted, trying to catch her breath, then with a growl, she raised both arms. She brought her hands together, the energy batteries on her back whining. Yellow bolts of lightning crackled off of her body, shredding into the ground. A ball of electricity soon formed in between her hands, growing larger, and larger. She then raised it above her head, as it became even than herself.

"Electro Ball!"

With all her strength, she hurled the sphere toward Gallantmon. The knight quickly slammed her shield into the ground, taking cover. With a crackling boom the orb struck, releasing a giant explosion of light, and electricity. A giant plume of dust, and debris erupted from the impact point, flying up into the air.

Raijinmon panted heavily, the last arcs of electricity crackling off her body. Suddenly, the cloud of dust before her parted, a figure leaping through. Before the machine could even blink, Gallantmon's lance thrusted into her chest. Its tip peaked out the other side, a gaping hole in its wake.

"Its over." Gallantmon sighed.

Raijinmon coughed, liquid data pouring from her eyes. "It doesn't matter...that you beat me. Eldradimon will still wipe this city from the world. You will all fall, and Daemon's rule will be absolute."

Gallantmon glared at the machine, and pulled her weapon free. Raijinmon quickly crumpled to the ground in a heap. Her body then began to slowly dissolve, scattering into shimmering data.

Gallantmon let out another sigh, and looked to the approaching giant in the distance.

"Grani!" she called.

Her sky lance revved to life, and flew to her side. She hopped atop it, and took off into the sky. Ready to face off against the oncoming titan.

* * *

Raidenmon fired off a piercing beam of lightning at his foe. Omnimon sidestepped the attack, continuing to stride forward. The machine raised his tail, a ball of energy forming at the tip, before he flung it forward. But, just as before, the white knight easily dodged the attack.

Omnimon measured him with a piercing gaze as he released his blade. For a brief moment, Raidenmon felt something. A primal emotion. Something he thought he long since cast aside.

Fear.

Several compartments suddenly opened up on the machines body. Small batteries of weapons sprung out from within, charging with energy. All at once the weapons fired, unleashing as a dozen streams of yellow crackling energy.

Omnimon leapt high into the air over the barrage of beams. They cut a swathe of destruction in their path, injuring enemy, and ally alike. The white knight then came down with his sword, as the runes upon it glowed with fiery energy.

All of the compartments on Raidenmon's body closed, his barrier crackling into existence. He diverted all power to the shield, its surface arcing with chaotic energy. With a loud clang the edge of Omnimon's sword struck. Arcs of yellow lightning flew from the clash.

Omnimon roared, putting energy into the blade. Raidenmon's barrier quickly began to warp, and buckle beneath the strain. Then, with the sound of shattering glass, it gave way, and Omnimon came down on him. The burning hot blade cleaved Raidenmon in twain, the two halves falling away. They then burst into shimmering data.

Some distance away, Gankoomon, and Suijinmon exchanged a flurry of punches. The machine lost in the clash, getting flung back several yards. She roared in frustration, firing two blasts from her shoulder cannons.

Like a boxer, Gankoomon ducked, and weaved to avoid the twin beams. He then dashed forward, unleashing a powerful uppercut. Suijinmon back stepped to avoid, but his fist still caught the tip of one of her cannons. The metal crumpled beneath the force of his strike. The cannon's barrel bending back on itself.

"Damn you! You old bastard!" Suijinmon roared, swinging wildly with her arm.

Gankoomon leapt back to avoid, scowling at the machine. Suijinmon raised both her arms, her eyes burning with fury.

"Thunderclap!"

She brought both arms down onto the ground, sending forth a giant shockwave. Gankoomon stood his ground, and stomped the earth beneath him. The force of his strike, kicked up a giant slab of solid stone, forming a makeshift barrier. With a loud crash, the shockwave struck the stone wall like a tide, leaving the knight unharmed.

Gankoomon then took a deep breath, and touched his hands to the stone.

"Chabudai GaeshI!"

The stone slab was infused with his energy, transforming into solid chrome digizoid. With all his strength, Gankoomon kicked the wall. It went hurtling through the air with the speed of a meteor. Suijinmon had no time to react, and was crushed beneath its weight. Her body crumpled, like tinfoil, before dispersing into data.

The knight cracked his neck, and looked skyward. With a loud sonic boom, Gallantmon's sky lance flew overhead. He moved at top speed toward the lumbering Eldradimon.

Suddenly, Gankoomon felt a presence at his side, and turned. Ominmon had landed to his right, and followed his gaze.

"We aren't needed any longer." he said sternly. "We need to put all our strength toward slaying that abomination."

"Agreed." Gankoomon grumbled. "I hope Leopardmon joins us. I have a feeling we're going to need all the help we can get against that monster."

With that, Omnimon took to the skies. Gankoomon sprinted after him. Both of them set on catching up with their fellow general.

* * *

Gallantmon's plume ruffled in the wind as she sailed across the sky. Even in the air, she could feel Eldradimon's lumbering steps. From atop the beast's back, several missile batteries swerved into position. They were soon within range of city, and opened fire.

A barrage of missiles sailed from the pods. The shark shaped missiles were locked onto the city, rocketing toward it at top speed. Gallantmon narrowed her eyes at the oncoming attack, and raised her lance.

"Lightning Joust!"

She swung her weapon in a wide arc, sending the silver lightning sweeping across the sky. Her attack collided with the oncoming wave of projectiles, detonating them instantly. The sky burst in a grand display of smoke, and fiery explosions.

More of the missile batteries locked onto Nexus, releasing their payload. The Pteramon atop the beasts back took to the sky. They were all armed to the teeth, their missile pods full, and machine guns mounted to their bellies. They fired off some of their own missiles as well, adding them to the barrage.

Gallantmon's eyes widened, and she fired off another blast of silvery lightning. Once more the attack ripped through the swarm of missiles. There were too many however, and several dozen zoomed past her. Angewomon tried to take some of then down as well, but could only do so much.

With a thunderous explosion, the missiles struck the cities barrier. Many of the archers on the wall were nearly blinded by the ensuing explosion. Giant ripples moved across the shields surface, and the walls themselves shook with the power of the shockwave.

Gallantmon scowled, and charged at high speed toward the squadrons of Pteramon. She raised her shield, and pointed her lance forward. Several Pteramon were skewered on the tip of her weapon, bursting into data.

The champions swerved back to counterattack, unleashing a hail of bullets. They clinked off her thick armor, as she charged toward them. Just as the others they fell before her lance.

Atop Eldradimon's back, more of the missile pods reloaded. They aimed downward, locking onto the enemy forces below. With dozens of whistling noises, the missiles launched, careening down to a group of nexus defenders.

Gallantmon tried to move, and intercept, but was barred by more Pteramon. With a loud crash, Omnimon suddenly landed in the missiles path. He raised his cannon, firing several shots into the sky. Four blue explosions erupted into air, eclipsing the missiles detonation. The resulting shockwave nearly knocked the nearby defenders off their feet.

The crimson knight sighed in relief, striking down the Pteramon in her way. Omnimon flew up to her side, and the duo rocketed off toward Eldradimon. They weaved back, and forth through the air, dodging incoming gun fire.

"Lightning Joust!"

"Supreme Cannon!"

The beam of silver lightning, and blue energy crashed into the back of Eldradimon. Several giant explosions were created in their wake, erupting into the sky. When the smoke cleared, the knight's eyes widened in shock. Barely even a scratch was left behind by their attacks.

Eldradimon himself finally seemed to take notice of the pair. His yellow eyes looked skyward, and he let loose a mighty bellow. With a gigantic clang, his mouth unhinged, revealing a giant cannon within. It whirred, and hummed with power, energy gathering inside.

A thunderous boom filled the air, as a giant beam of energy fired out of the cannon. The light was nearly blinding as it traveled upward. Omnimon, and Gallantmon barely avoided the giant attack, moving to either side. It continued on its course, the clouds above parting in its wake. When the energy dissipated, a crackling path of energy was still left behind. And the smell of burning ozone filled the air.

Down below, Gankoomon thundered across the battlefield. He looked upward to one of the titan's legs, and took in a deep breath. Hinukamuy surrounded him in an aura of fiery energy, as he focused. His fists glowed with energy, burning like molten steel.

"Tekken Seisai!"

He launched himself forward and struck Eldradimon's trunk like leg. A powerful shockwave ripped through the beast's body. The machine let loose a mighty bellow, his leg wobbling for several moments. He then steadied himself, continuing on his forward path.

Gankoomon leapt away, growling in frustration. Up above him, Omnimon and Gallantmon continued to assault the fortress atop the giant's back. The two giant cannons on either side of it's shell suddenly clicked into place. The internal targeting system worked away, locking onto the city.

The cannons opened fire, creating two ear shattering explosions. Two giant cannon shells flew from the barrels, sailing overhead.

With all his strength, Gankoomon leapt into the sky, moving in front of one of the shells. He called Hinukamuy to his side, pulling back his fist. The knight let loose a mighty roar, and uppercutted the oncoming projectile. The impact created a powerful shockwave, and sent the shell sailing higher into the air. It then exploded high in the sky, bathing the world in fiery red.

He could not stop the other shell however. It crashed into the cities barrier, exploding with earth shattering force. The entire bubble of energy warped beneath the assault, but still held. The citizens in nexus could feel the impact, as the tremor rumbled through the city streets.

* * *

Fuujinmon dashed in at Leopardmon, his blades crackling. With the barest effort, the knight parried his attack with his rapier. Leopardmon then kicked the machine, sending him skidding a dozen yards away.

"You bastard!" Fuujinmon roared.

Cuts, and grooves covered the machines body. He tried to attack Leopardmon from every angle, but the knight would always counter. His movements, were effortless, and graceful, and each time he would return to his stance. Never making a move, and staring down Fuujinon with cold eyes.

Fuujinmon growled, and surrounded himself in a aura of wind. It quickly turned into a towering green cyclone. The ground beneath the tornado was ripped apart by its force, kicking up bits of stone, and earth.

Leopardmon stood unfazed, as the wind whipped, and howled around him. With a sigh, he raised his rapier. An aura of white energy crackled across its length.

"That attack did not work last time. And it will not work now. Extinction Wave!"

Leopardmon brought down his sword, unleashing the white energy. It flew forward as a powerful shockwave. A giant explosion erupted outward as the two attacks collided. The wind was quickly dissipated by the sheer force of the shockwave. Fuujinmon fell to the ground that was once at the eye of the storm. He struggled to his knees, cursing aloud.

The knight looked down at him, and sheathed his sword, He then turned about, and began to stride away.

"This battle is over." Leopardmon stated. "It would be wise for you to leave."

"Don't you dare turn your back on me!" Fuujinmon shouted.

With great effort, he stood to his feet, charging energy into his blades. As he readied his attack, he suddenly became aware of a looming shadow above him. The machine suddenly turned, eyes widening, as he looked upward.

The titanic foot of Eldradimon was hurtling toward him. Fuujinmon barely had time to cry out, before the giant's foot came down. He was crushed, instantly turning to into a burst of data. Leopardmon did not even glance back as he was destroyed by the weapon he had helped create.

"I told you it would be wise to leave." Leopardmon remarked coldly.

The knight looked up, to see his fellow generals engaging with Eldradimon. His gaze then turned to the city in the distance. He called to his sky lance, and leapt atop it. After sparing one last glance at his comrades, he took off toward nexus.

* * *

Gallantmon ducked behind her sheild, as another barrage of heavy machine gun fire spewed from the giants back. She then fired off a bolt of silvery lightning in retaliation, slicing through one of the many turrets.

From one of the towers atop the fortress, a pair of weapons moved into position. They were two metal prongs, attached to a large generator. With a loud whir, the prongs began to spin, electricity crackling between them.

With the sound of thunder the two weapons fired, arcing toward Gallantmon. The crimson knight was blindsided, and shouted in pain. Her sky lance momentarily wavered off course, as the blue electricity crackled across her body.

Omnimon, and Gankoomon rushed cross the beasts back. With fist, and blade, they cut a path through the small army atop the fortress. Like wheat before a scythe they fell before the knights onslaught, bursting into streams of data.

As they waded through their enemies, one of the missile batteries locked onto their position. A dozen organic missiles fired from the pods, hurtling forward. The two knights were struck dead on, and caught in the ensuing explosion. More of the machine's foot soldiers were caught in the blast as well, vaporizing instantly.

When the smoke passed, Omnimon, and Gankoomon were shaking off the attack. They were not given even a moment of respite. As two more missile pods took aim. Omnimon soared into the sky to avoid the barrage, as Gankoomon shielded himself with Hinkuamuy

More, and more of the weapons zeroed in on the pair, putting them completely on the defensive.

Up in the sky, Gallantmon swerved out of the path of another bolt. She fired off an attack in retaliation. Only to be met by a barrier protecting the main fortress. Only allowing energy, and matter outward. Despite her best efforts, it held against her onslaught, and the cannons continued to retaliate.

More missile pods sprang up from the fortress. All of them were fully loaded, and targeted the approaching city. Three dozen missiles launched together, trailing across the sky with fiery contrails.

Gallantmon ignored her defense for a moment, firing off a beam of silver lightning. The attack swept through most of the projectiles, the others continuing on their course. Before the crimson knight could pursue, she was struck by the fortress's energy cannons once more.

Just as before the missiles were about to impact into nexus's barrier. Then, suddenly the shield of force flickered. The defenders atop the wall let out a gasp, and shouts of panic, as the barrier began to slowly dissipate. From its peak, it then melted away.

Everyone only had a moment to take cover before the attack struck. Chunks of stone went flying as they exploded against the outer wall. Some continued to sail overhead, crashing into the city proper. Several buildings toppled, sending stonework, and other debris crashing into the streets. The citizens cowered in their bunkers, as they heard the world crash down above them.

The three knight generals all stared with stunned expressions. The battle below seemed to halt. As the defenders of nexus watched their defense finally fall. The remaining machines were bolstered, and attacked with more fervor than before.

Gallantmon was brought back to reality, as another arcing bolt struck her. Her eyes blazed with fury, and she raised her shield. The symbol upon it started to glow, the shield beginning to shudder with barely contained power.

"Shield Of The Just!"

A giant blazing beam of crimson, and white energy fired from the shield. There was a resounding boom, as it crashed into the fortress's barrier. It soon gave way to the raw power of her attack, shattering it like glass. The beam's remaining energy bored into the tower, leaving behind a gaping, glowing hole.

Gallantmon then looked back to the city. What happened to the barrier? Had it finally given in to Eldradimon's onslaught? She quickly pushed that theory aside, which left only one logical conclusion. One she dared not admit to herself.

"Gallantmon, go back to nexus!" Omnimon shouted, cutting down a tankmon. "You must restore the shields!"

"I can't just leave you!" Gallantmon replied.

"Just go!" Gankoomon roared. "We'll manage things here! The safety of nexus, and its citizens comes first!"

Gallantmon considered his words, and let out a sigh. With a heavy heart, she took off toward nexus. A weapon battery atop Eldradimon made a token attempt to take her down. But, were easily thwarted by Gallantmon's flying skills.

As the knight flew over the battlefield, she fired down several blasts of lightning. The attacks blasted through the machine forces below. A cheer erupted from the defenders of nexus as she went past. Bolstered by her presence, they received their second wind, and began to fight on.

Gallantmon zoomed over the walls, and into the city proper. She picked up speed as she neared yggdrasil tower. She then leapt from atop Grani onto one of the tower's balconies. Her sky lance went floating down to the ground, waiting for it's master.

The general wasted no time, and strode toward the nearest elevator. It shot upward, taking her up to the hall of thrones. As Gallantmon turned the corner, she found the doors to the chamber hanging wide open.

Her eyes narrowed, and she readied her weapons. Slowly, she crept toward the entrance, peering around one of the doors. When she felt no nearby presence, she stepped into the room cautiously, looking about.

She soon found the newly built barrier control system completely destroyed. It had been sliced cleanly to ribbons, sparks, and smoke pouring off of it.

Gallantmon pondered for a moment. She had no time to search the entire tower for the saboteur. She needed to think. If she were the saboteur, where would she go next?

It only took her several seconds to come to a single conclusion.

"Alphamon!"

She rushed off at top speed, heading back for the elevator. She did not slow as it reached the peak of the tower. Quickly she opened the door marked with the sigils of the generals, and sped up the spiral staircase beyond. Only when she reached the crystal sphere at its peak, did she finally stop.

Sitting in the center of the space, was Alphamon's cocoon. The black knight still slumbered inside, unaware of the chaos outside. Standing just a few feet away, was Leopardmon. He held his blade upward, ready to strike the sleeping knight.

"Stop right there!" Gallantmon shouted.

Leopardmon froze mid swing, and slowly turned. His gaze was cold as it met Gallantmon's.

"So, you were the traitor." Gallantmon growled, raising her lance.

"Yes." the other knight sighed.

"Why?!" Gallantmon roared. "Why would you betray us?! We have been comrades for thousands of years!"

"That's exactly why." Leopardmon replied. "It's been thousands of years Gallantmon. Thousands of years of fighting. Everytime a great evil is defeated, another takes its place. It never ends." His eyes softened for the briefest moment. "I'm so tired. Tired of a war with no end."

"Aren't you tired too, Gallantmon?" he continued. "Tired of fighting with every ounce of strength you have. With only a brief respite, before another darkness comes." He spread his arms wide. "Daemon seeks to put an end to the cycle. Rewrite the universe, and shatter the shackles of fate that bind us!"

He held out his hand. "Don't you want to rest? To have the freedom to do what you truly desire? Go beyond the role given to you by GOD?"

Gallantmon closed her eyes, curling her hand into a tight fist. "At what cost? How many innocent lives has Daemon taken for his so called ideals?!" She glared at her former comrade. "And how many more will be lost before he completes his goals?! All this destruction! All this suffering! None if it is worth breaking this supposed cycle!"

With a flash of energy, Gallantmon summoned her lance. "If I must fight evil for eternity, so that those innocent souls can live happy and free! If I must stand in the role of guardian, until the end of time! Then so be it!"

Leopardmon looked saddened at her answer, his hand falling to his side. Then, with a heavy heart, he lifted his sword, taking up a fencing stance.

"Very well." he stated. "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. But, you leave me no choice."

The pair squared off, staring each other down. Leopardmon was the first to make a move, dashing forward at blinding speed. Gallantmon had barely enough time to raise her shield to defend, before countering with her lance.

The other knight easily sidestepped the strike, moving to Gallantmon's right. He thrusted forward with his blade, intent on taking Gallantmon's head. She dashed back, the tip of the rapier grazing her helm.

The two continued to clash, exchanging blow after blow. Gallantmon was reminded of their many sparring sessions throughout the years. Leopardmon's style was never well suited for such a thing. He did not attack with pure power, or try to wear down his opponent over time. His strikes were precise, and had no wasted movement. Each one aimed for a vital point, and intent on ending the fight in a single stroke.

Because of this, the other knight had always lost against Gallantmon. But now, she was seeing the true extent of his style firsthand. And for the first time in centuries, the two stood on equal footing in one on one combat.

Gallantmon knocked aside one of Leopardmon's strikes, bringing up her lance. The weapon crackled, before firing off a blast of silver lightning. The other knight took to the sky, soaring over the attack. It crackled through the air, before crashing into the crystalline wall around them. The sound of rushing wind filled the air, as the room was opened up to the outside.

The crimson knight fired off another shot, as Leopardmon flew overhead. He swerved out of its path, and down with a powerful kick. Gallantmon raised her shield above her head to block.

Predicting Leoparmon's next move, she spun about. The other knight's eyes widened, as he landed, Gallantmon's lance hurtling toward him. He raised his rapier in defense, diverting the path of her weapon. Sparks flew as the lance slid along the rapier's edge.

Before he had a chance to counter, Gallantmon thrusted with her shield. The unyielding metal smashed into Leopardmon's face, sending him reeling.

He recovered quickly, raising his blade above his head. With a powerful swing he sent a shockwave rocketing toward Gallantmon. She raised her shield in defense, but was still blown back by the force.

Leopardmon then sheathed his blade, light glowing from within his armor.

"Leopardmon change mode to…"

The knight shifted to all fours, hands, and feet becoming armored paws. His beast helm flipped over his face, giving him the visage of a predatory cat. Flowing from the backs of his legs were his angel like wings, still shimmering in the light. A wild mane of blonde replaced his flowing locks, and dark blue spikes sprouted from his shoulders.

"Leopard Mode!"

Leopardmon let loose a roar, and charged forward. Gallantmon was taken off guard by his increased speed. The other knight rammed into her with his body, pushing her backward. She soon found herself at the edge of the newly formed hole.

With one final shove, Leopardmon knocked her off the precipice. The wings on the backs of legs then spread, and he followed after her.

"Grani!" Gallantmon called as she plummeted.

From down below, the crimson sky lance revved to life, and rushed toward it's master. Leopardmon dove down toward the falling knight. Intent on striking before she had a chance to regain her footing.

He came at her from multiple angles, dashing past several times. On each pass he would slash out with his claws. Gallantmon did her best to defend with her shield, but still received several long cuts to her armor.

As Leopardmon prepared for another pass, Gallantmon spotted Grani approaching from below. She fired off a blast of lightning at the approaching beast, momentarily knocking him off course. She then positioned her body just as Grani came to meet her, landing right atop the sky lance's seat.

She charged toward the other knight, lance raised. Leopardmon charged to meet her, his claws gleaming with sharpness. The two zoomed past each other in the blink of an eye, striking almost simultaneously

A long groove was cut into Leoparmon's side. Proof of Gallantmon's victory in the exchange. Both of the knights then circled about, readying for another charge.

* * *

Omnimon, and Gankoomon fought back as they tried to stem the tide of soldiers. All the while beneath them, the giant Eldradimon continued its path toward nexus. The batteries of weapons atop the beast's back had been fully reloaded, and took aim.

The two knights smashed through the lines, to try and take out as many as possible. Despite their best effort however, over a dozen missiles, and several streams of bullets fired. Angewomon, and Wisemon moved in to intercept some of the projectiles. The angel used her arrows of light to strike down the oncoming missiles. While Wisemon summoned forth his dimensional portal to absorb as much of the barrage as he could.

They could not stop it all, and more of the outer wall was battered away by the onslaught. Several buildings nearby were caught in the chaos, crumbling into rubble. The defenders on the wall had already moved their position, and began firing off arrows on anymore missiles that approached.

Omnimon sliced through another gatling turret, and Tankmon in one swing. The central fortress on the Eldradimon's back took aim at the knight. The remaining pronged cannons opened fire on him, striking him in the shoulder, and stomach.

The white knight staggered from the attack, and glared up to the fortress. Another prong cannon revved up to fire, taking aim. Suddenly, Gankoomon leapt in front of his comrade, summoning Hinukamuy to defend both of them. The aura beast took the powerful bolt, roaring back in defiance.

"I have had enough of this!" Omnimon roared. "I will put an end to this abomination!"

Omnimon leapt over the aura creature, spreading both of his arms wide. He sheathed both his blade, and cannon before bringing his arms to together. Blue, and red energy came together between the mouth of wolf, and dragon. They formed into a crackling sphere of energy, ribbons of red, and blue light pouring off of it.

"Omega Blast!"

With the call of his attack, the energy shot forward as two orbs. One shimmered with blue, and other red. An arc of electricity connected them, and a helix of purple light followed in their wake.

With a cacophonous boom the two orbs crashed into the middle of Eldradimon's shell. All of their energy released as a gigantic purple explosion. Many of the machine soldiers were caught in the blast, instantly turning into data. Eldradimon bellowed in pain, as the attack struck. Its movements momentarily came to a standstill, legs staggering.

When the explosion of energy passed, a large smoking crater was left in it's wake. A layer of Eldradimon's thick armor had been peeled away, but still more remained. Omnimon floated back down to the ground huffing from the effort.

There was a lull in the fighting for a brief moment. As Eldradimon momentarily came to a stand still. Then, with a loud rumble the titan sprang to life once more. It continued to stride forward, intent on reaching it's destination.

"Dammit all!" Omnimon roared, standing to his feet. "Is there anyway to stop this beast?!"

"We just have to keep trying!" Gankoomon shouted, as he fought off a Tankmon. "If this beast reaches nexus, its over!"

Omnimon stood to his feet, and nodded. He unsheathed his sword, and charged back into the fray. Slashing away at the tide of enemies, and cutting down any weapons he could.

* * *

Leopardmon, and Gallantmon flew over the cities's secondary gate, as they continued to battle. The plains rushed by below them, claw, and lance meeting with flashes of sparks. On another pass, Leopardmon changed tactics, flying low. Before Gallantmon could change her course, the beast zoomed by beneath her. His razor sharp claws dug into the lower half of Grani, creating an explosion of smoke.

The sky lance sputtered beneath her, suddenly dropping altitude. Faster, and faster it began to fall, wobbling, and wavering. Gallantmon steadied herself as best she could, and looked down to the quickly approaching ground. Then, just before the crash, she leapt away, landing on the plans with a tumble. Grani crashed nearby, skidding across the ground, and left a smoking heap.

Leopardmon came swooping down from above, making one pass at Gallantmon. The beast then came down to land, spinning about to face his opponent. His eyes glowed, and he raised both front paws into the air.

"Wolkenkratzer!"

He brought down both paws with all his strength, sending a tremor through the ground. The earth began to rumble beneath Gallantmon's feet. Suddenly a spire of stone rose up in front of Leopardmon. Another followed, appearing before the first, and so on, creating a wave of giant stone spikes.

Gallantmon readied her shield as the wave neared, its surface glowing. With a shout, she unleashed its energy. The giant beam of crimson, and white energy smashed into the approaching spires. There was a brief struggle, before the energy attack smashed through the first spire in line. Bits of hardened stone went flying in all directions as it pummeled through three more spires.

Just as the beam was losing momentum, Leopardmon dashed to the side, circling around the other knight. The yellow tip of is tail began to crackle with energy, and electricity.

"Eroberung!"

As the leopard moved, balls of crackling light formed from his tail. They created a line behind him, that completely encircled Gallantmon. The crimson knight looked all about her at the circle of spheres, readying herself for whatever they might do.

When the circle was complete, Leopardmon leapt toward the center. In midair, he shifted back to his humanoid form. The knight then drew his rapier, taking up his fencing stance.

He dashed forward, striking with a flurry of thrusts. Gallantmon was quickly put on the back foot, raising her shield in defense. The other knight continued to press forward, forcing Gallantmon back.

Soon, the crimson knight stood only inches away from the ring of glowing orbs. One of them flashed, and was drawn toward her like a magnet. It struck her back, exploding in a burst of yellow electricity. She cried in pain staggering forward.

Leopardmon siezed his opportunity, and dashed forward with a deadly thrust. Gallantmon barely raised her shield in time to defend. The other knight's blade glanced off the edge of her shield, piercing into her shoulder.

Gallantmon grunted in pain, and pushed Leopardmon away with the shield. He took several steps back, and pointed his blade in her direction. Swirling black energy began to run across it's length.

"Gravity Wave!"

He thrusted in front of him with blinding speed. As he did, the energy within his blade released as several darts of explosive dark energy. Gallantmon dashed to her right, avoiding the barrage. The darts of energy sailed past, and impacted with three of the yellow orbs. Before she could react, the orbs flashed, and exploded all at once, blasting her forward, and knocking her to the ground.

Leopardmon moved in, ready to end it in one stroke. Gallantmon did not make a move, lying in wait for the other knight's approach. Then, at the last moment, she quickly rolled onto her back, raising her lance. The weapon crackled, before firing a beam of silver lightning.

Leopardmon moved to avoid the attack. His speed was not enough, however, and the edge of the beam caught the side his face. Half of his helmet was blasted away, sending shrapnel flying in all directions.

His eyes narrowed in cold fury, and he closed the distance between the two of them. The knight then raised his weapon, and stepped down on Gallantmon's shield arm. As he thrusted down, Gallantmon dismissed her lance, and caught the blade with an armored hand.

A struggle of strength soon ensued, as Leopardmon pressed down with his blade. Gallantmon's arm shuddered with effort, trying to hold him back. Despite her efforts, the tip of his rapier inched closer, and closer to her throat.

Soon, the crimson knight would lose out in the struggle. She had to think fast, and an idea quickly formed in her mind.

"Grani!" she roared.

Suddenly the wreck of her sky lance sputtered to life. The machine had just enough energy to hover awkwardly in the air. Then with the last of its power it shot toward it's master. With great force, it smashed into Leopardmon's side, blindsiding him and knocking him down to the ground.

He struggled for a moment beneath Grani's bulk. Giving Gallantmon just enough time to rise to her feet, and summon her lance. Leopardmon then rose back up to face her, just as Gallantmon fired her attack.

Leopardmon dashed out of it's path, and took his stance once more. When, suddenly, he caught the flashing light behind him. He glanced over his shoulder eyes widening. Grani had pushed the knight near the ring of spheres, and Gallantmon's attack had activated one nearby.

The yellow orb latched onto him, and exploded. Gallantmon was on top of him within a fraction of a second, readying her lance. Leopardmon raised his rapier to defend, but the weapon was knocked aside by Gallantmon's shield. Then with a sickening shunk, the tip of Gallantmon's lance, pierced into the center of his chest.

Leopardmon gasped, and fell to his knees. Gallantmon then pulled her weapon free, leaving behind a gaping hole in his chest.

The two shared a silent look, and Leopardmon lowered his head. He accepted his loss with no regrets. Slowly his limbs grew numb, before they began to fade away. He stared into Gallantmon's eyes one last time, before completely dissipating into data.

Left in his place was a patch of lush green grass. Upon which a bush of pale blue leaves grew. The purest white flowers bloomed upon it. Its branches decorated with sharp thorns.

Gallantmon let out a long sigh, and looked back to nexus. In the distance, she could see the form of Eldradimon closing in. Its weapons continued to fire, raining down destruction on nexus.

Gallantmon made a move toward the battle, but staggered. The toll of her fight with Leopardmon caught up with her, and she fell to a knee. She growled with effort, trying to rise back to her feet.

"Move! Move, damn you!"

Her body refused to respond, too worn, and tired to make the effort. Still the knight struggled, and slowly she stood on shaky legs. Then, with agonizing slowness, she moved, step, by step toward the battle in the distance.

* * *

Within the crystal sphere atop yggdrasil tower, the sounds of battle echoed. Even at this dizzying height, the weight, and power of Eldradimon's steps could be felt. The rumble, and thunderous boom of explosions followed with it, resonating in the chamber.

Alphamon's energy cocoon stirred, as the chaos grew louder, and louder. The black knight's fingers twitched, his form flashing. His eyes then snapped open, and the cocoon glowed with brilliant green light.

A bright flash followed, as the orb burst into shimmering particles. Alphamon floated back down to the ground, holding a hand to his head. His limbs were momentarily numb, the feeling slowly coming back.

He was suddenly snapped to the present, as another tremor echoed through the air. He rushed over to the opening in the wall, looking down on the city below. In the distance, he could see the hundreds of combatants doing battle. Then, like a mountain, rising from the ocean, he laid eyes on the titan Eldradimon, as it lumbered forward.

Without a second thought, Alphamon leapt off of the tower. There was a flash of light behind him, energy flowing from boosters on his back. Slowly, the energy took shape, taking the form of golden angelic wings. The knight then took off toward the battle at top speed.

* * *

Eldraidmon's towering shadow now loomed over nexus's main gate. Atop his back, Omnimon, and Gankoomon continued to hammer away. But, still they could not slow the beast. The archer's atop the wall let loose their volleys as well. Their attacks being nothing more then insect bites.

With a bellow, Eldradimon opened his mouth, the weapon within flashing with energy. The mechanism whirred, gathering power. It's sigths aimed directly for the center of the city, hoping to cause as much devastation as possible.

Omnimon, and Gankoomon heard the whine of the weapon over the battle. Both knights rushed toward the beast's head, but were slowed by the enemy. Wisemon, and Angewomon unleashed their attacks on him, but still the titan continued to charge.

Some distance away, Gallantmon saw the energy gathering in the beast's mouth. Her eyes widened, and she began to hobble faster. Her body cried out in rebellion, but she ignored it, continuing to move.

Finally the weapon reached full capacity, and was ready to fire. All the remaining defenders on the wall, braced for the inevitable impact. Then, a single soldier caught a streaking golden light flying across the corner of his vision.

"Alpha inForce!"

For a fraction of a second, the world was bathed in green. Then, everything came to a sudden standstill. All was eerily quiet, the battle now frozen in time.

Alphamon quickly moved through the still world, and flew in front of Eldradimon. He spread both his arms wide, green energy pouring from his hands. The energy formed into a pair of magical circles and slowly spun.

"Digitize Soul!"

The two magical circles spread outward from his hands. They grew, and grew, encompassing the front half of the city. Green energy poured from the openings on Alphamon's armor, and his wings glowed bright gold.

With a grunt of effort, he released the power of the Alpha inForce. Suddenly, the world moved forward again. Eldradmon's cannon fired with a searing noise. It soon crashed into Alpahmon's circles, sending sparks of energy flying in all directions. Using all his focus, he channeled his energy, keeping up the barrier.

Then, Edlradimon's attack finally dissipated, and Alphamon's arms fell to his sides. The magical barrier vanished, absorbing back into his form.

For a brief moment, the battle lulled, before a giant cheer erupted from below. The three knight generals sighed in relief, looking up to their leader with reverence.

The black knight then held is hands in front of him. The magical circles reappeared once more, the gems in his palms glowing.

"Digitize Soul!"

At the call of his attack, a barrage of green beams fired from his palms. Like a machine gun, they hammered into Eldradimon's face. The beast bellowed in pain, his entire head quickly obscured by smoke, and green energy.

Alphamon heaved, his body straining from the effort. He had not yet fully recovered, the use of all this energy was taking its toll. After several more volleys, he finally ceased, and the smoke, and green light began to clear.

When Eldradimon fully came back into view, his face was pitted with large craters. The left half of his head had been peeled away, revealing red muscle, and machinery beneath. He roared, opening his mouth for another blast of his cannon.

Alphamon tried to call on the energy for another barrier, but could not muster it. Some distance away, Gallantmon struggled to stand. With a loud clang, she planted her shield into the ground, bracing herself against it. Soon, it began to whine, and glow, as she mustered the energy for her attack.

"Shield Of The Just!"

The beam of energy burst forth, sailing across the sky. It crashed into the side of Eldradimon's mouth cannon. The energy within was suddenly distablized and began to explode outward. In a series of chain reactions, fiery explosions rippled across the weapon. All of them culminating in one massive blast that tore through Eldradimon's armor, burning away flesh, and machinery.

Atop the beast's back, Omnimon deepened the crater he had formed earlier, finally piercing Eldradimon's armored shell. Nearby, Gankoomon ripped one of the steel spires from atop the fortress from its foundations. He then leapt into the air, bringing down the spire like a spear into the new wound.

Another massive explosion ripped through Eldradimon's insdes. Oil, and liquid data spewed outward. Armor, weapons, and mechanical parts were torn asunder. Missiles, and other ballistics exploded inside in a chain reaction.

A horrific noise ripped from Eldradimon's throat. Like the sound of an animal, and the screech of grinding metal combined. The sound echoed across the battlefield, as the giant finally began to topple. Just before reaching the ground, his body burst into data. A gigantic cloud of glittering particles filled the air, creating an almost blinding light.

What few machines remained were soon broken, and began to retreat. The defenders of nexus pursued past the edge of the forest, before marching back. Cheers, and cries of joy erupted all around. People cried, laughed, and dropped to their knees in exhaustion.

Omnimon, and Gankoomon landed amid the glittering particles, and moved to meet their master. The three then rushed over to Gallantmon, who lay on the ground, totally spent. Alphamon looked down at her, swelling with pride.

"You've done well." he whispered. "Rest now."

The battle had been won. Nexus saved.

* * *

The next day, the city began the long process of recovery efforts. The injured were moved to the infirmary, wounds tended. Those that were able bodied began clean up, moving away debris, and trying to repair what they could.

Alphamon, and the other generals sat in the hall of thrones. Gallantmon was nursing her wounds, and her companions were still not fully recovered. But, still they needed to convene, and go over all the events of the past few weeks.

Alphamon listened intently as the others debriefed him. He said nothing, only nodding occasionally. When it came time for Gallantmon to tell her companions of Leopardmon's betrayal, there was shock, and dismay amongst them. She had told them briefly about their battle, but to hear it in detail was still hard to grasp.

When she finished, Alphamon looked to Leoparmon's throne. The sigil had disappeared, and now two thrones were left unclaimed. He closed his eyes, letting out a long drawn out sigh.

"I wish him better in his next life."

"As do I." Gallantmon agreed.

"Now, about the matter of his nearby rift." Alphamon began. "I was able to study it, and I can deduce that it most certainly leads to the human world. I believe we can use this to our advantage."

"How so?" Gankoomon asked.

"You said you've lost communication with the chosen." Alphamon answered. "I sense they need our help. And with this portal we can send aide."

"We can't spare that many, Lord Alphamon." Omnimon stated. "All of us are still recovering, and almost everyone is injured, or dealing with the aftermath. We're stretched thin as it is."

Alphamon could not argue with that logic, and nodded in resignation. For several moments, there was silence, until an idea suddenly struck Gallantmon.

"I know who we can send." she said, standing from her seat.

* * *

Gatomon grunted with effort as she lifted, and tossed a piece of rubble aside. Only a single giant boulder now stood in her path. She pulled back her paw, claws shimmering with sharpness. With several lightning fast motions, she punctured the stone in several places. Then, with a shout, she struck the stone, splintering it into smaller bits of rubble.

She sighed, cracking her neck. A PawnChessmon approached her cautiously, and held out a flask of water. She took it gratefully, offering him a quick thanks. He blushed beneath his helm, and scurried off. Muttering something about 'actually talking with an angel'.

Gatomon downed half of the flask, before dumping the rest onto her head. She was about to get back to work, when she heard nearby footsteps. She turned to see an approaching Alphamon, and quickly stood at attention.

"Gatomon, we are in need of your help."

The cat blinked, cocking her head in confusion.

* * *

Gatomon looked to the swirling portal in front of her. The cascading rainbow of color entranced her, bathing her fur in its glow. Nearby, two Knightmon stood guard around the portal. They had set up a temporary outpost nearby, and awaited orders. Behind Gatomon, stood Alphamon.

"So, this portal really goes to the human world?" Gatomon asked.

Alphamon nodded. "Yes. We need you to head through, and aid the chosen. Once things have started to settle here, we will join you."

Gatomon took in a deep breath, and nodded. "I'm ready."

"Then may GOD bless you." Alphamon said with a bow. "Safe travels."

Gatomon gave another nod, and took several steps toward the portal. As she stood at its threshold, she took a moment to steady herself. Then, without hesitation, she entered through the rift.

Beyond the portal, she found herself before an old barn. Fields of green pastures stretched out before her in almost all directions. She took a moment to sniff the air, and listen in to her surroundings.

Suddenly, her senses caught the familiar energy of Ryudamon far into the distance. With a flash of light, she transformed into Angewomon, and flew high above the clouds. Once she was out of sight from prying eyes, she took off toward the energy. Ready to face whatever danger might come.

 **Author's Notes:**

I deeply apologize to anyone who has been waiting on this final chapter. I've been busy working on not only another fic I want to finish, but also my next big digimon story. Digimon Cross. I'm hoping to create a bit of a buffer for myself before I start posting it however. So, it'll be a while longer. Possibly sometime next month. But, we'll see. Anyway, thank you all for your patience, and support!


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